What can the brain science of learning teach us about cybernetics?

摘要

The study of perception, learning, memory and recall are converging to unite the emerging brain science of learning with the field of cybernetics and to bridge the gap between the mechanistic models of brain function with the knowledge of us as being a lot more than just our brains. Human beings cannot be defined by their physical body or brain alone - just as electricity cannot be defined by the nerves through which it travels. The human brain is in fact, a system in constant flux. This distinction between the brain and the mind - that man is not a machine but has and uses a machine - the brain - is critical in understanding how we as humans learn and evolve. Recent research shows that different circuits are called upon in the brain for different activities such as math, music and reading. In addition, learning and practicing particular skills can cause corresponding areas in the brain to grow or change by adding a tiny fraction of the brain's neural circuitry and eliminating old ones. This finding is of particular interest to cybernetics which questions as to how psychological/cognitive functions are produced by brain circuits. This paper contributes to this dialogue by summarizing what we already know about the learning process in the brain and suggests how systems of communication and control operate in the brain during deep learning as for example during problem based learning.