arXiv subjects

Kayhan Ozcimder

Publications and source records attributed to Kayhan Ozcimder.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2020

Topological limits to parallel processing capability of network architectures

The ability to learn new tasks and generalize performance to others is one of the most remarkable characteristics of the human brain and of recent AI systems. The ability to perform multiple tasks simultaneously is also a signature characteristic of large-scale parallel architectures, that is evident in the human brain, and has been exploited effectively more traditional, massively parallel computational architectures. Here, we show that these two characteristics are in tension, reflecting a fundamental tradeoff between interactive parallelism that supports learning and generalization, and independent parallelism that supports processing efficiency through concurrent multitasking. We formally show that, while the maximum number of tasks that can be performed simultaneously grows linearly with network size, under realistic scenarios (e.g. in an unpredictable environment), the expected number that can be performed concurrently grows radically sub-linearly with network size. Hence, even modest reliance on shared representation strictly constrains the number of tasks that can be performed simultaneously, implying profound consequences for the development of artificial intelligence that optimally manages the tradeoff between learning and processing, and for understanding the human brains remarkably puzzling mix of sequential and parallel capabilities.

q-bio.NC↗

arXiv2018

Social decision-making driven by artistic explore-exploit tension

We studied social decision-making in the rule-based improvisational dance $There$ $Might$ $Be$ $Others$, where dancers make in-the-moment compositional choices. Rehearsals provided a natural test-bed with communication restricted to non-verbal cues. We observed a key artistic explore-exploit tension in which the dancers switched between exploitation of existing artistic opportunities and riskier exploration of new ones. We investigated how the rules influenced the dynamics using rehearsals together with a model generalized from evolutionary dynamics. We tuned the rules to heighten the tension and modeled nonlinear fitness and feedback dynamics for mutation rate to capture the observed temporal phasing of the dancers' exploration-versus-exploitation. Using bifurcation analysis, we identified key controls of the tension and showed how they could shape the decision-making dynamics of the model much like turning a "dial" in the instructions to the dancers could shape the dance. The investigation became an integral part of the development of the dance.

physics.soc-ph↗

arXiv2017

A Graph-Theoretic Approach to Multitasking

A key feature of neural network architectures is their ability to support the simultaneous interaction among large numbers of units in the learning and processing of representations. However, how the richness of such interactions trades off against the ability of a network to simultaneously carry out multiple independent processes -- a salient limitation in many domains of human cognition -- remains largely unexplored. In this paper we use a graph-theoretic analysis of network architecture to address this question, where tasks are represented as edges in a bipartite graph $G=(A \cup B, E)$. We define a new measure of multitasking capacity of such networks, based on the assumptions that tasks that \emph{need} to be multitasked rely on independent resources, i.e., form a matching, and that tasks \emph{can} be multitasked without interference if they form an induced matching. Our main result is an inherent tradeoff between the multitasking capacity and the average degree of the network that holds \emph{regardless of the network architecture}. These results are also extended to networks of depth greater than $2$. On the positive side, we demonstrate that networks that are random-like (e.g., locally sparse) can have desirable multitasking properties. Our results shed light into the parallel-processing limitations of neural systems and provide insights that may be useful for the analysis and design of parallel architectures.

cs.DM↗

arXiv2017

A Formal Approach to Modeling the Cost of Cognitive Control

This paper introduces a formal method to model the level of demand on control when executing cognitive processes. The cost of cognitive control is parsed into an intensity cost which encapsulates how much additional input information is required so as to get the specified response, and an interaction cost which encapsulates the level of interference between individual processes in a network. We develop a formal relationship between the probability of successful execution of desired processes and the control signals (additive control biases). This relationship is also used to specify optimal control policies to achieve a desired probability of activation for processes. We observe that there are boundary cases when finding such control policies which leads us to introduce the interaction cost. We show that the interaction cost is influenced by the relative strengths of individual processes, as well as the directionality of the underlying competition between processes.

q-bio.NC↗

arXiv2013

Perception and Steering Control in Paired Bat Flight

Animals within groups need to coordinate their reactions to perceived environmental features and to each other in order to safely move from one point to another. This paper extends our previously published work on the flight patterns of Myotis velifer that have been observed in a habitat near Johnson City, Texas. Each evening, these bats emerge from a cave in sequences of small groups that typically contain no more than three or four individuals, and they thus provide ideal subjects for studying leader-follower behaviors. By analyzing the flight paths of a group of M. velifer, the data show that the flight behavior of a follower bat is influenced by the flight behavior of a leader bat in a way that is not well explained by existing pursuit laws, such as classical pursuit, constant bearing and motion camouflage. Thus we propose an alternative steering law based on virtual loom, a concept we introduce to capture the geometrical configuration of the leader-follower pair. It is shown that this law may be integrated with our previously proposed vision-enabled steering laws to synthesize trajectories, the statistics of which fit with those of the bats in our data set. The results suggest that bats use perceived information of both the environment and their neighbors for navigation.

eess.SY↗