                  Computational physics of the mind

Wlodzislaw Duch, Department of Computer Methods, Nicholas Copernicus
University ul. Grudziadzka 5, 87-100 Torun, Poland. 

ABSTRACT

In the XIX century and earlier such physicists as Newton, Mayer, Hooke,
Helmholtz and Mach were actively engaged in the research on psychophysics,
trying to relate psychological sensations to intensities of physical
stimuli. Computational physics allows to simulate complex neural processes
giving a chance to answer not only the original psychophysical questions
but also to create models of mind.  In this paper several approaches
relevant to modeling of mind are outlined.  Since direct modeling of
the brain functions is rather limited due to the complexity of such
models a number of approximations is introduced.  The path from the
brain, or computational neurosciences, to the mind, or cognitive
sciences, is sketched, with emphasis on higher cognitive functions such
as memory and consciousness.  No fundamental problems in understanding
of the mind seem to arise.  From computational point of view realistic
models require massively parallel architectures.


In: Computer Physics Communication (1996)

