Comparison of Soar to Constraints on the Human Mind

Since Soar is proposed as a theory of human cognition, one might assume that is was designed to cover the full range of human behavior. However, not all of the constraints posed by the human mind were incorporated into Soar. This is a list (adapted from Unified Theories of Cognition, Figure 4-25, page 233) of characteristics of human behavior that were specifically included and excluded in the design of Soar.

Constraints that were considered in the design of Soar:

Flexible Behavior
Exhibit adaptive (rational, goal-oriented) behavior
Operate in Real-Time
Operate in a rich, complex, detailed environment
- Perceive an immense amount of changing detail (interface only)
- Use vast amounts of knowledge
- Control a motor system of many degrees of freedom (interface only)
Use symbols and abstractions
Learn from the environment and from experience

Constraints that were not included in the design of Soar:

Use language natural or artificial
(See NL-Soar for an example of this capability realized on top of the architecture.)
Operate autonomously but within a social community.
(See TacAir-Soar for information about Soar agents acting cooperatively with other agents.)
Be self-aware and have a sense of self
Be realizable as a neural system
(Rosenbloom (1989) discusses implementing Soar in a connectionist framework.)
Be constructible by an embryological growth process
Arise through evolution

Return to the Top of this architecture.