University of Alberta Dictionary of Cognitive Science: Main Page

"It often does more harm than good to force definitions on things we don't understand. Besides, only in logic and mathematics do definitions ever capture concepts perfectly. The things we deal with in practical life are usually too complicated to be represented by neat, compact expressions. Especially when it comes to understanding minds, we still know so little that we can't be sure our ideas about psychology are even aimed in the right directions. In any case, one must not mistake defining things for knowing what they are (Minsky, 1985).

This dictionary of cognitive science terms was initiated by Dr. Michael Dawson, and introduced as a class project . The project was designed to give students the opportunity to learn more about the basic concepts of cognitive science, and also to learn about the delivery of information via the world wide web.

Beginning October, 2009 this site is being reworked -- existing definitions are being edited and revised, and new terms are being added.

The changes will be advertised as tweets: search Twitter for #cogsci #wotd

This page is currently maintained by Dr. Michael Dawson, and is protected by copyright. This page lasted edited August 2013.