Marr’s Level Of Analysis

Question 1

David Marr gave us a system for understanding phenomena at multiple levels. Suppose you discover a new species and want to know how it solves the problem of hunting for food. You observe it in its natural environment and attempt to determine the steps it follows when hunting: how it detects prey and how it attacks. You determine that it must be able to detect and categorize types of prey by smell and then use specific hunting styles for different types of prey.

Answer 1

Algorithmic level

Question 2

Alan Turing described a theoretical system that could solve any mathematical or logical problem using a very simple set of rules and instructions. It was suggested that this process and the procedures were importantly similar to the steps humans might use to solve a problem. Comparing machine and human intelligence in this way is what level of analysis?

Answer 2

Algorithmic level

Question 3

When we look in the brain to see which specific area is responsible for Broca’s aphasia, we are doing an analysis at the:

Answer 3

Implementation level

Question 4

Professor Deák discussed the order in which different skills emerge during development. When we ask what skills, abilities, or representations must be present in a system to accomplish a goal or function, what level of analysis is this?

Answer 4

Algorithmic level

Question 5

Prof. Voytek discussed the importance of modeling problems in a variety of domains. In general, when we use mathematics, statistics, and machine learning to create a functional model of a physical system, we are working at the ___________ level.

Answer 5

algorithmic

Question 6

When Dr. Mukamel asks, “What are networks for?” he lists a number of different goals that networks can accomplish. What level of analysis is his question?

Answer 6

Computational

Question 7

Fear conditioning may help a system to adapt to potentially dangerous stimuli in its environment. This solves the problem of being unprepared if the dangerous stimulus appears again in the future. What level of analysis is this description?

Answer 7

Computational

Question 8

You are studying spatial navigation in rats and want to know how their brains respond while performing certain activities. You collect data by recording from microelectrodes in the rat’s brain while it runs a maze. What level of analysis is the focus of this experiment?

Answer 8

Algorithmic

Question 9

In lecture, we heard how David Marr proposed that complex phenomena (e.g. human vision) could be explained at multiple levels of analysis. What was the most abstract level, which dealt with the goals and objectives of the system?

Answer 9

Computational level