On building integrated cognitive agents: a review of Allen Newell's Unified Theories of Cognition

✍ Scribed by Barbara Hayes-Roth

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1993
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 830 KB
• Volume: 59
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0004-3702
• DOI: 10.1016/0004-3702(93)90198-k

✦ Synopsis

Twenty years ago, Allen Newell and Herbert Simon gave us a landmark book, Human Problem Solving, in which they introduced the method of protocol analysis, reported the parameters of human cognition, and set the stage for the emerging field of cognitive science. It is only fitting that, with his new book, Unified Theories of Cognition, Newell should set our course for the next twenty years. Once again he challenges us to shift paradigms, in this case to leave behind our focus on isolated cognitive tasks and to aim instead for the development of unified theories that account for the full range of cognitive function.

The book retains the easy conversational style of Newell's 1987 William James Lectures at Harvard University, on which it is based. It reflects his characteristic comprehension of the issues, attention to detail, and intellectual honesty. It is spiced with casual metaphors, witty asides, and wry ripostes to colleagues who hold different opinions. Reading it,