Rachlin (2012) makes two general assertions: (a) "To be human is to behave as humans behave, and to function in society as humans function," and (b) "essential human attributes such as consciousness, the ability to love, to feel pain, to sense, to perceive, and to imagine may all be possessed by a computer'. Although Rachlin's article is an…

This essay uses the recent victory of an IBM computer (Watson) in the TV game, "Jeopardy," to speculate on the abilities Watson would need, in addition to those it has, to be human. The essay's basic premise is that to be human is to behave as humans behave and to function in society as humans function. Alternatives to this premise are considered…

Describes artificial intelligence (AI) as the study of intelligence with the ideas and methods of computation. States that the goal is to make computers more intelligent and thereby uncover the principles that make intelligent behavior possible. Discusses knowledge representations, production (if-then) systems, and expert systems as forms of AI.…

Examines cybernetics as a model which provides framework with which to view communicators and the communications in the ESL classroom because it implies the kind of feedback the learner can assimilate and act upon. (Author/BK)

Argues that the status of the concept of equilibration is classified by considering Piagetian theory as a research program in the sense elaborated in 1974 by Lakatos. A pilot study was made to examine the precision and testability of equilibration in Piaget's 1977 model.(Author/RH)

The danger of computers is not that people will be controlled by them but that they may imitate them, mistaking data for wisdom. Unobstructed access to facts can produce unlimited good only if matched by the desire and ability to discover what they mean and where they would lead. (MSE)

Third in a series of five essays on Piaget, this article examines the dynamic, functional aspects of Piagetian theory through an identification and analysis of two major models for understanding interaction and change: assimilation/accommodation and scientific inquiry. (Author/CM)

Reviews the scientist practitioner model in counseling and examines problems associated with it. Discusses insights of general systems theory and Rychlak's insights into deficiencies in the current model of psychological research, and presents a revised model. (JAC)

It is suggested that the study of artificial intelligence can provide ways of thinking about the human mind that are potentially valuable in formulating cognitive theories. Theoretical psychology is proposed as an appropriate classification for this branch of theory. (MSE)

This paper offers a model that integrates chaos theory and cybernetics, which can be used to describe the structure of decision making within small groups. The paper begins with an overview of cybernetics and chaos. Definitional characteristics of cybernetics are reviewed along with salient constructs, such as goal-seeking, feedback, feedback…

Application of cybernetic laws and information processing principles suggests that traditional and modern teaching methods are radically incompatible, in the sense that techniques developed in the one cannot be transferred to the other without dislocation of the system as a whole. (Author/WBC)

Explores the sociopolitical implications of the new epistemology and the Milan approach, concluding that, while second order cybernetics has greater potential to incorporate a radical social analysis, it has, nevertheless, failed to do so. The application of second order cybernetics in family therapy appears to be constrained by the sociopolitical…

After examining some elementary notions of action theory and cybernetics, this article analyzes the dynamics, clustering, and survival chances of vicious circles. It argues that the action perspective implies that many structural suboptimalities of organizations are caused by vicious circles. Eleven figures and 105 references are provided. (DCS)

Examines how conductors and orchestras communicate. Communication is essentially nonverbal. Conductors use gestures, gaze, facial expression, nods and posture to deliver their message. Norbert Weiner's Cybernetic Theory of human communication is seen as a means of analyzing precisely how this musical communication takes place. (16 references) (LET)

Divided into three sections, this paper explores semiotic phenomenology as a paradigm for communicology (a translation for the new French "comunicologie" and the "German Kommunikationgemeinschaft," which are used increasingly to suggest a qualitative and human signification as opposed to the quantitative and technological…