Evening star., 1932-02-28

~
n batteries, a sort Of haywire radio set
in appearance, Is sciences latest me-
n chanical brain. Like q young child.
1t can be taught. Like Pavlov's
famous dogs whose mouths watered
at the mere ringing of the dinner bell, this
aggregation Of hfeless electrical apparatus can
be given conditioned rehexes"
This mechanical brain is not very practical.
It's purpose is to help psychologists understand
how the human mind works. 1t is fraction
Of Robot of science.
This mechanical brain shows that there Is
no exact borderline between hfeless and living
things. 1t is new kind of machine that does
not blindly repeat, but can, in a sense, learn
what it is taught
Other Robot devices common in every
day life: Adding machines, bookkeeping ma
chimes typesetting machines, bottling machines,
shoe-making machines automatic looms, photo
electric cells that level elevators, control tenn
perature, and switch lights on and off as day
light fades or dawns
Notice however that machines of this type
do only the kinds of things that they are de-
signed to do They never learn anything new.
of themselves. They are like men who are
good at routine but show no imagination.
THE new conditioned reflex" machines de-
u veIoped under the direction of Prof. CLARK
L HUH Of Yale University, do not have this
limitation. Though they have not yet reached
the stage Of practical application, they give
one something new and startling to think
about. Collaborating with Professor Hull In
making these were Dr. H. D. Baernstein, r. L.
Krueger and G. K. Bennett. Two other inde-
pendent workers have also recently made SINH
lar machines.
The special feature of these new machines
IN that they can be taught something that was
not thought Of when they were being designed.
They are not 1t Is true as dexterous as q
dial telephone exchange but it will take only
time to make them more nearly perfect.
Several different forms of these learning"
models have been made. The simplest Of these,
invented by r. L. Kruger, depends chiefly on
what are called "polarizable electrolytic cells
Such o cell is very much like the storage
battery of your automobile. It will give out
current after q charging current has been
passed through 1t, but none at all before It
has been charged for first time.
Mr.. Kruegers storage cells are sman and
easily charged and discharged. He hooks them
up in parallel and then connects the whole
set In parallel with an electric bulb provided
with q separate dry battery 70 light It.
Switches are placed In the main circuit and in
each Of the storage cell circuits. The whole
thing looks much simpler than Juniors first
radio set.
What has this to do with Paviov's "ccndi-
toned refex"2
THE scientific work Of Prof. I. p. Pavlov Of
the Russian Institute of Experimental Med
icine in Leningrad, was recognized IN 1904 by
the award Of Nobel prize. BY many his work
has been regarded as opening the way 70 .
thoroughly scientific psychology. to a study Of
the brain that VIII be free from the upersti-
taous ideas that have accumulated about the
subject Of how man really thinks.
Pavlov is primarily o psychologist and not q
psychologist. Now a fundamental concept Of
physiology, introduced q long time ago By the
philosopher Descartes, is that Of reflex"