Here are my responses for my written qualifying exam, which I took on January 18th, 2016. I can’t promise they are all that coherent (6-8 pages per topic in 9 hours means a lot of writing and not much time for editing!) but I figured I should post them anyway.

  1. What are probabilistic models of cognition? Please begin by situating them with respect to alternatives (i.e., what are non-probabilistic models of cognition?). Then describe what you see as the two or three key strengths of this approach, illustrating each with examples. [Response]
  2. What is the relationship between simulation and probabilistic models of cognition? Specifically, one interpretation is that simulations might be thought of as samples from a probability distribution. Does this interpretation work for all the ways in which simulation has been used to explain cognition? Discuss why or why not. [Response]
  3. How does use of simulation in computer science and robotics relate to the use of simulation in cognitive science? Are there ways in which simulation is used in robotics and computer science that could be applicable to cognitive modeling? Be sure to discuss multiple types of simulation, including probabilistic simulation, simulations in planning (e.g. Monte-Carlo Tree Search), physical simulation for computer graphics, and combinations thereof. [Response]