Learning is a Big Subject

Furse's interest in learning continually challenges the more limited notions of learning to be found in the literature. Examination of AI and machine learning conferences and journals shows that the vast majority of the papers are about one small aspect of learning, namely learning from examples and their classification. Yet, this is a small part of the human learning experience. Humans probably have at least 40 different kinds of learning mechanisms, many of them shared with animals through evolution.

Furse argues that Cognitive Psychology and Cognitive Science have an important contribution to make in trying to understand these various learning mechanisms, ultimately linking up with research from neuroscience, so as to provide theories and models that work all the way down from a model of the task down through higher level mechanisms, through large assemblies of neurones, and ultimately to the detailed neural processing. There is a great need for communication between the Cognitive Science community and the neuroscience community, and much of this already exists in the modelling of small parts of the brain. But, Furse argues that this co-operation needs to also be done with higher level mental processes, and here his theories of learning and memory are of great relevance.

Furse is currently working on newer theories of learning aspects of everyday life, apart from the learning of facts.

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