Learning Analytically and Inductively1

Learning is a fundamental component of intelligence, and a key consideration in designing cognitive architectures such as Soar [Laird et al., 1986]. This chapter considers the question of what constitutes an appropriate general-purpose learning mechanism. We are interested in mechanisms that might explain and reproduce the rich variety of learning capabilities of humans, ranging from learning perceptual-motor skills such as how to ride a bicycle, to learning highly cognitive tasks such as how to play chess.