The cognitive architecture of environmental understanding Sample Clauses

The cognitive architecture of environmental understanding. 3.1 Reality model This reality layer represents the objective physical environment whose existence does not depend on the agents’ minds. To create a realistic scenario, the en- vironment should be modelled in a way similar to how the real world works. Simplifications are necessary since producing a virtual world that functions ex- actly the same as the real world is notably difficult. Fortunately, in many cases believable scenarios do not require absolute resemblance to real environments; the virtual environments just need to be recognized as realistic. Thus, designers of the reality layer can develop their approximations of the environment to suit their target applications. The reality layer contains two different models, each of which addresses an as- pect of the environment. In the first perspective, the environment can be viewed as a set of physical properties, such as the temperature of a point in the loca- tion, the hardness of a sword, and the burning point of a wooden chair. Physical properties can change with time according to some physical laws. For example, heat diffuses from places with high temperature to those with low temperature. Physical laws also tell that when the temperature of an object is higher than its burning point, it xxxxx and produces more heat. With simple physical laws, a large set of possible phenomena and consequences can be derived. However, artificial objects are often complex, and their functions cannot be explained by simple physical laws. For example, the seemingly simple relation between keys and locks has delicate craft behind it. Thus, the second perspec- tive that views environment objects as artifacts (man-made items) is necessary. An artifact directly maps to specific concepts in the concept model as its usage functions (to be described in the next subsection); the functions of an artifact do not need to be explained with physical properties. Nevertheless, an artifact is still a physical object and possesses physical properties. The key in the example above is an artifact because it opens doors, but it still is made of metal and has a melting point. The general principle is that the more delicate and complex an item is, the more likely it is modelled as an artifact.