Skip to main content

From Concrete to Abstract Rules: A Computational Sketch

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Brain Informatics (BI 2022)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 13406))

Included in the following conference series:

  • 654 Accesses

Abstract

A multi-dimensional stimulus can elicit a range of responses depending on which dimension or combination of dimensions is considered. Such selection can be implicit, providing a fast and automatic selection, or explicit, providing a slower but contextualized selection. Both forms are important but do not derive from the same processes. Implicit selection results generally from a slow and progressive learning that leads to a simple response (concrete/first-order) while explicit selection derives from a deliberative process that allows to have more complex and structured response (abstract/second-order). The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is believed to provide the ability to contextualize concrete rules that leads to the acquisition of abstract rules even though the exact mechanisms are still largely unknown. The question we address in this paper is precisely about the acquisition, the representation and the selection of such abstract rules. Using two models from the literature (PBWM and HER), we explain that they both provide a partial but differentiated answer such that their unification offers a complete picture.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 64.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Alexander, W.H., Brown, J.W.: Hierarchical error representation: a computational model of anterior cingulate and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Neural Comput. 27(11), 2354–2410 (2015)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  2. Alexander, W.H., Brown, J.W.: Frontal cortex function as derived from hierarchical predictive coding. Sci. Rep. 8(1), 3843 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-21407-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Badre, D.: Cognitive control, hierarchy, and the rostro-caudal organization of the frontal lobes. Trends Cogn. Sci. 12(5), 193–200 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Badre, D., Kayser, A.S., D’Esposito, M.: Frontal cortex and the discovery of abstract action rules. Neuron 66(2), 315–326 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Daw, N.D., Niv, Y., Dayan, P.: Uncertainty-based competition between prefrontal and dorsolateral striatal systems for behavioral control. Nat. Neurosci. 8(12), 1704–1711 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1560

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Domenech, P., Koechlin, E.: Executive control and decision-making in the prefrontal cortex. Curr. Opin. Behav. Sci. 1, 101–106 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2014.10.007

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Frank, M.J., Badre, D.: Mechanisms of hierarchical reinforcement learning in corticostriatal circuits 1: computational analysis. Cereb. Cortex 22(3), 509–526 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Koechlin, E., Ody, C., Kouneiher, F.: The architecture of cognitive control in the human prefrontal cortex. Science 302(5648), 1181–1185 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Miller, E.K., Cohen, J.D.: An integrative theory of prefrontal cortex function. Annu. Rev. Neurosci. 24(1), 167–202 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. O’Reilly, R.C., Frank, M.J.: Making working memory work: a computational model of learning in the prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia. Neural Comput. 18(2), 283–328 (2006)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  11. Tenenbaum, J.B., Kemp, C., Griffiths, T.L., Goodman, N.D.: How to grow a mind: statistics, structure, and abstraction. Science 331(6022), 1279–1285 (2011)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Snigdha Dagar .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Dagar, S., Alexandre, F., Rougier, N. (2022). From Concrete to Abstract Rules: A Computational Sketch. In: Mahmud, M., He, J., Vassanelli, S., van Zundert, A., Zhong, N. (eds) Brain Informatics. BI 2022. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 13406. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15037-1_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15037-1_2

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-15036-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-15037-1

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics