Daydreaming in Humans and Machines: A Computer Model of the Stream of Thought [Hardcover]

Erik T. Mueller (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0893915629 | ISBN-13: 978-0893915629 | Publication Date: February 1990

This volume presents a computer model of human daydreaming to demonstrate how it is useful for creative problem solving and learning in both humans and computers. The model is implemented as the running computer program "Daydreaming", which takes simple descriptions of external world events as input and produces descriptions of daydreams and actions as output. The programme operates in the domain of interpersonal relations and common everyday occurrences. New artificial intelligence techniques are introduced, including emotion-driven planning, serendipity-based planning/learning, and perpetual planning. Psychological hypotheses are presented regarding day dreaming, the feedback relationship between emotions and daydreaming, and transfer in problem solving. Previous related work in artificial intelligence, psychology, and philosophy is reviewed and contrasted with the proposed model. Critiques of connectionist research and current cognitive science theories are also offered.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Ablex Pub (February 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0893915629
• ISBN-13: 978-0893915629
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,418,083 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #71 in Books > Computers & Technology > Computer Science > Artificial Intelligence > Cognitive Simulation

More About the Author

Erik T. Mueller is a Research Staff Member at the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center. He is the author of the books Commonsense Reasoning (Morgan Kaufmann) and Daydreaming in Humans and Machines (Ablex). He received an S.B. in Computer Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of California, Los Angeles. His research focuses on question answering and narrative comprehension.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Daydreaming..." documents a milestone in AI research., June 20, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Daydreaming in Humans and Machines: A Computer Model of the Stream of Thought (Hardcover)

Based on work done by Mueller and colleagues at UCLA in the late 1980's, "Daydreaming..." describes the development and operation of a novel type of artifical intelligence program known as "DAYDREAMER". The program simulates the "daydreams" of a young female living and working the Los Angeles area. With its special emphasis on the endless internal dialoque we all carry on within our minds, the program worries about earthquakes, getting a date with Harrison Ford, and buying sunglasses, among other things. The output is surprisingly coherent, and an examination of the software gives somes very interesting insight into the role that emotions play in the guidance of our daydream thoughts. Moreover, with the creation of the DAYDREAMER program, Mueller may have come closer to the realization of Artificial Intelligence than one might surmise from the title alone. Written more in the style of a light technical reference than a typical scientific research work, "Daydreaming..." presents the reader with a step-by-step account of the development, testing, and operation of the software. Example program fragments are included to help illustrate key points, which is unusual for a book of this type. Perhaps more interesting than its content is the lack of interest in Mueller's work shown by the AI research community, which is a shame, since DAYDREAMER illustrates for the first time some of the inner workings of the private corners of cognition. Highly recommended for anyone interested in AI and cognitive psychology.