Listed below are various properties that might be used to constrain a theory of the mind. The first set are taken from A. Newell's book, Unified Theories of Cognition. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1990.

Cognitive Scientists interested in human reasoning sometimes state their goal as one of discovering the cognitive architecture of the mind. There are probably as many readings for this term as there are researchers who have used it. Within this discussion of "constraints that shape the mind" I will focus on an interpretation of this term that emphasizes the analogy to the work of an architect. If one engages an architect to design a building, one usually specifies some set of constraints that the design should satisfy. For example, an upper bound on expense, a range within which the square footage should fall, the number of windows in the kitchen, the faucets to be used in the downstairs bathroom, etc. Notice that I have used examples of constraints that vary greatly in their specificity. Also note, that what the architect will create is a design that presumably satisfies the constraints; and there may be many designs that satisfy the set of constraints. Also note, that satisfying the set of constraints does not guarantee that the building can actually be built.

The advent of computers and particularly the area of research known as Artificial Intelligence (AI) encouraged researchers to explore the relation between the design of intelligent artifacts and the human mind. More specifically, it might be that the design of information processing systems that could carry out the kinds of tasks done by the human mind might present us with a new way to study the mind. This allowed some researchers to pursue a top-down approach to the study of mind. And, if the design is actually realized as a system, then this system can be tested and evaluated at a level of detail that is impossible to realize in the study of human mind. And, even if the system fails in some ways as an accurate and acceptable theory of human reasoning, the artifact itself may prove to be an object of both intellectual and practical interest.

Multiple Constraints that Shape Mind

1. Behave flexibly as a function of the environment
2. Exhibit adaptive (rational, goal-oriented) behavior
3. Operate in real time
4. Operate in a rich, complex, detailed environment
   • Perceive an immense amount of changing detail
   • Use vast amounts of knowledge
   • Control a motor system with many degrees of freedom
5. Use symbols and abstractions
6. Use language, both natural and artificial
7. Learn from the environment and from experience
8. Acquire capabilities through development
9. Operate autonomously, but within a social community
10. Be self-aware and have a sense of self
11. Be realizable as a neural system
12. Be constructible by an embryological growth process
13. Arise through evolution

And Also ?

• Maintain Reliability of its functions
• Non-Determinism of some functions
• Systematicity (cf. 5)
• Handle Input Asynchrony
• Robust (Degrade Gracefully)
• Recognize and Manage Inconsistency in Logical Sense

And Also ?

• Possess Feelings and Emotions
• Apply Moral Principles