COGSCI 1 FINAL EXAM 2026/2027
ACTUAL QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED
ANSWERS.
Obstacle avoidance layer
Layer of subsumption architecture
• Directly connects perception (sensing an obstacle) to action
(either swerving to avoid the obstacle, or halting when the
obstacle is too big to go around)
• Whatever other layers are built into the subsumption
architecture, the obstacle avoidance layer is always online and
functioning
Rodney Brooks robot Allen
• Basic layer is obstacle-avoidance layer
• Over time, more and more layers were added, mimicking how
evolution works
• Semi-autonomous subsystems operate relatively
independently of each other, though some subsystems can
override others
hybrid architectures
• Subsumption architecture for low-level reactive control
("scaled-up insects") WITH
• Traditional central pla
behavior based robots
behavior-based ones represent their environments and use
those representations in planning actions
,• However, unlike symbolic architectures, there is no central
planning system
• Ex: TOTO robot that can identify shortest route between
previously visited landmarks
Situated Cognition
one that is "embedded in the world, and which does not deal
with abstract descriptions, but through its sensors with the here
and now"
Embodied Cognition
"one that has a physical body and experiences the world
directly through the influence of the world on that body
Human Brain Project
• Simulate the brain; generate digital reconstructions and
simulations of the mouse brain and ultimately the human brain
• Implement models of the brain in neuromorphic computing
and neurorobotic systems
• Develop a model of the brain that merges theory (top-down)
and data-driven (bottom-up) approaches for understanding
learning, memory, attention, and goal-oriented behaviors
• Develop tools to explore new diagnostic indicators and drug
targets
Xenobot
Living robot
Built from the ground up using biological cells
− Made of skin cells and heart cells in the form of stem cells
harvested from frog embryos
• Designed and programmed by a supercomputer using an
evolutionary algorithm
,− A few hundred simulated cells were reassembled into myriad
forms and body shapes
− The most successful simulated organisms were kept and
refined
• Single stem cells were then cut and joined using tiny forceps
and an electrode into close approximation of designs specified
by computer
The Uncanny Valley Effect
Limitation of robot research
Poses a problem for the creation of avatars that are a little too
life-like
- humanoid objects that imperfectly resemble actual human
beings provoke uncanny feelings of uneasiness and revulsion
in observers
Healthcare robots
− Take orders from and deliver items to a patient
− Act as an around-the-clock sitter
− Assist frail and elderly patients out of a bed or chair
− Provide a video connection to a distant doctor (e.g., in remote
clinic or cruise ship)
Brain Computer Interface
"neural prosthetics"
• Computer chip is implanted in motor cortex and
communicates directly with external device
• Allows animal (or person) to directly control a robotic arm with
their thoughts
Cochlear implants (external)
, its behind the ear, picks up sounds with a microphone, then
analyzes the sound and sends signals to the internal part of the
implant
Cochlear implants (internal)
Stimulates different regions of the basilar membrane, producing
perceptions of sounds of different pitches
– High-frequency sounds cause the base of the basilar
membrane (near the oval window) to flex
– Low-frequency sounds cause the apex (opposite end) to flex,
and the whole basilar membrane also flexes back and forth in
time to the sound wave
Psychotherapy
Diagnosis/identification of psychological disorders
AI system that analyzed Facebook posts of consenting patients
in an emergency department was able to generate predictions
of depression risk that were as accurate as standard
depression screening tests
ELLIE
Robot Therapist
Computerized glasses provide specialized feedback to coach
children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in emotional
identification and social skills (e.g., making eye contact)
Boogieing
intermediate verification language
Percy Spencer
ACTUAL QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED
ANSWERS.
Obstacle avoidance layer
Layer of subsumption architecture
• Directly connects perception (sensing an obstacle) to action
(either swerving to avoid the obstacle, or halting when the
obstacle is too big to go around)
• Whatever other layers are built into the subsumption
architecture, the obstacle avoidance layer is always online and
functioning
Rodney Brooks robot Allen
• Basic layer is obstacle-avoidance layer
• Over time, more and more layers were added, mimicking how
evolution works
• Semi-autonomous subsystems operate relatively
independently of each other, though some subsystems can
override others
hybrid architectures
• Subsumption architecture for low-level reactive control
("scaled-up insects") WITH
• Traditional central pla
behavior based robots
behavior-based ones represent their environments and use
those representations in planning actions
,• However, unlike symbolic architectures, there is no central
planning system
• Ex: TOTO robot that can identify shortest route between
previously visited landmarks
Situated Cognition
one that is "embedded in the world, and which does not deal
with abstract descriptions, but through its sensors with the here
and now"
Embodied Cognition
"one that has a physical body and experiences the world
directly through the influence of the world on that body
Human Brain Project
• Simulate the brain; generate digital reconstructions and
simulations of the mouse brain and ultimately the human brain
• Implement models of the brain in neuromorphic computing
and neurorobotic systems
• Develop a model of the brain that merges theory (top-down)
and data-driven (bottom-up) approaches for understanding
learning, memory, attention, and goal-oriented behaviors
• Develop tools to explore new diagnostic indicators and drug
targets
Xenobot
Living robot
Built from the ground up using biological cells
− Made of skin cells and heart cells in the form of stem cells
harvested from frog embryos
• Designed and programmed by a supercomputer using an
evolutionary algorithm
,− A few hundred simulated cells were reassembled into myriad
forms and body shapes
− The most successful simulated organisms were kept and
refined
• Single stem cells were then cut and joined using tiny forceps
and an electrode into close approximation of designs specified
by computer
The Uncanny Valley Effect
Limitation of robot research
Poses a problem for the creation of avatars that are a little too
life-like
- humanoid objects that imperfectly resemble actual human
beings provoke uncanny feelings of uneasiness and revulsion
in observers
Healthcare robots
− Take orders from and deliver items to a patient
− Act as an around-the-clock sitter
− Assist frail and elderly patients out of a bed or chair
− Provide a video connection to a distant doctor (e.g., in remote
clinic or cruise ship)
Brain Computer Interface
"neural prosthetics"
• Computer chip is implanted in motor cortex and
communicates directly with external device
• Allows animal (or person) to directly control a robotic arm with
their thoughts
Cochlear implants (external)
, its behind the ear, picks up sounds with a microphone, then
analyzes the sound and sends signals to the internal part of the
implant
Cochlear implants (internal)
Stimulates different regions of the basilar membrane, producing
perceptions of sounds of different pitches
– High-frequency sounds cause the base of the basilar
membrane (near the oval window) to flex
– Low-frequency sounds cause the apex (opposite end) to flex,
and the whole basilar membrane also flexes back and forth in
time to the sound wave
Psychotherapy
Diagnosis/identification of psychological disorders
AI system that analyzed Facebook posts of consenting patients
in an emergency department was able to generate predictions
of depression risk that were as accurate as standard
depression screening tests
ELLIE
Robot Therapist
Computerized glasses provide specialized feedback to coach
children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in emotional
identification and social skills (e.g., making eye contact)
Boogieing
intermediate verification language
Percy Spencer
