The importance of cognitive architectures: an analysis based on CLARION

Research in computational cognitive modelling investigates the nature of cognition through developing process-based understanding by specifying computational models of mechanisms (including representations) and processes. In this enterprise, a cognitive architecture is a domain-generic computational cognitive model that may be used for a broad multiple-level multiple-domain analysis of behaviour. It embodies generic descriptions of cognition in computer algorithms and programs. Developing cognitive architectures is a difficult but important task. In this paper, discussions of issues and challenges in developing cognitive architectures will be undertaken, and an example cognitive architecture (CLARION) will be described.