Acomputer program to facilitate the study of meaning in a cognitive structure

A discussion of the merits of interdisciplinary cooperation between researchers in artificial intelligence and psychology is presented along with a computer program which exhibits this type of cooperation by being firmly based in the developmental theories of Jean Piaget„ The program is designed to facilitate the investigation of the representation of meaning in a cognitive structure. The program is provided with a set of simple sensory-motor facilities with which it interacts with a simulated environment and in doing so progresses intellectually through the creation of a cognitive structure. This structure interrelates the experiences of the simulated organism and directs the behavior of that organism. A preliminary structure is investigated through experimentation with the program, and the results of that investigation are discussed. These results are used in the creation of a second version of thestructure. This new structure is investigated, and preliminary results are discussed. Improvements and future experimentation suggested by the results from the second version of the structure are discussed.