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From: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor)
Newsgroups: net.ai
Subject: Re: Mental states of machines
Message-ID: <548@dciem.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 12-Dec-83 10:20:10 EST
Article-I.D.: dciem.548
Posted: Mon Dec 12 10:20:10 1983
Date-Received: Mon, 12-Dec-83 10:26:33 EST
References: <14369@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Organization: D.C.I.E.M., Toronto, Canada
Lines: 20

Any discussion of the nature and value of mental states in either
humans of machines should include consideration of the ideas of
J.G.Taylor (no relation). In his "Behavioral Basis of Perception"
Yale University Press, 1962, he sets out mathematically a basis
for changes in perception/behaviour dependent on transitions into
different members of "sets" of states. These "sets" look very like
the mental states referenced in the earlier discussion, and may
be tractable in studies of machine behaviour. They also tie in
quite closely with the recent loose talk about "catastrophes" in
psychology, although they are much better specified than the analogists'
models. The book is not easy reading, but it is very worthwhile, and
I think the ideas still have a lot to offer, even after 20 years.

Incidentally, in view of the mathematical nature of the book, it
is interesting that Taylor was a clinical psychologist interested
initially in behaviour modification.
-- 

Martin Taylor
{allegra,linus,ihnp4,uw-beaver,floyd,ubc-vision}!utzoo!dciem!mmt