Creating Concepts: Considerations from Psychology and Artificial Intelligence

The symbol grounding problem is a prototypical problem in cognitive science and concerns how symbols gain their meaning. In this chapter, the symbol grounding problem is discussed in order to address the missing step for how artificial intelligence research can approach conceptual understanding and concept invention. A potential solution to the problem is offered through the theory of embodied cognition. However, Moravec’s paradox states that high-level cognition such as calculation and memory require fairly little computer power, whereas low-level cognition in the form of sensorimotor processes require substantially more computer power. This means that any computationally embodied system faces challenges for knowledge representations. Additionally, the chapter introduces the state of the art in relevant research on creativity and concept invention from a cognitive perspective in order to lay the foundation for successive chapters. The chapter includes considerations on and discussion of: Artificial life Symbol grounding problem Embodied cognition Knowledge representation Creativity and concept invention Information transfer Conceptual blending