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Beliefs, Points of View, and Multiple Environments *
Author(s) -
Wilks Yorick,
Bien Janusz
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
cognitive science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Book series
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.498
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 1551-6709
pISSN - 0364-0213
ISBN - 0-444-86545-4
DOI - 10.1207/s15516709cog0702_1
Subject(s) - mechanism (biology) , computer science , computation , percolation (cognitive psychology) , process (computing) , theoretical computer science , cognitive psychology , psychology , artificial intelligence , cognitive science , epistemology , algorithm , programming language , philosophy , neuroscience
The paper describes a system for dealing with nestings of belief in terms of the mechanism of computational environment. A method is offered for computing the beliefs of A about B (and so on) in terms of the systems existing knowledge structures about A and B separately. A proposal for belief percolation is put forward: percolation being a side effect of the process of the computation of nested beliefs, but one which could explain the acquisition of unsupported beliefs. It is argued that the mechanism proposed is compatible with a general least effort hypothesis concerning human mental functioning.