[LINK] Computer program that aces 'guess next' in IQ test

Dmytry

From

http://astrobio.net/pressrelease/4569/computers-that-think-like-humans

The group is therefore using a psychological model of human patterns in their computer programmes. They have integrated a mathematical model that models human-like problem solving. The programme that solves progressive matrices scores IQ 100 and has the unique ability of being able to solve the problems without having access to any response alternatives. The group has improved the programme that specialises in number sequences to the point where it is now able to ace the tests, implying an IQ of at least 150.

'Our programmes are beating the conventional math programmes because we are combining mathematics and psychology. Our method can potentially be used to identify patterns in any data with a psychological component, such as financial data. But it is not as good at finding patterns in more science-type data, such as weather data, since then the human psyche is not involved,' says Strannegård.

That's an awesome study.

I always thought the variations of continue series test (progressive matrices, number sequences, word A is to word B as word C is to ?? etc) are very culturally biased. You solve those best and easiest by sharing with the test maker the learning environment (and for visual ones, sharing visual environment), as well as sharing neural architecture. That lets you pick same choice as the test maker [edit: and do so easily and naturally]. And this research provides very good demonstration.

Of course there will be a correlation of ability to guess the same or secondguess the test maker with intelligence, but so does e.g. height correlate with intelligence (via effect of nutrition on both); perhaps we should add 'what is your height' question to IQ test and then let some giant robot score a genius.

Note: one might think of sequence guessing as task of minimizing Kolmogorov complexity. That's not quite so, sequences are too short, shorter than the generators. Consider sequence 2,3,5,7,11,? . Obviously the answer on IQ test would be 13 (primes). Good luck writing primes generating program that is simpler than this sequence itself, though [edit: i mean, simpler than a program which just prints those numbers followed by whatever garbage. Unless you have a language where 'print primes' is a basic command]. (and of course the length of program will be very dependent on the machine being used)

From

http://astrobio.net/pressrelease/4569/computers-that-think-like-humans

The group is therefore using a psychological model of human patterns in their computer programmes. They have integrated a mathematical model that models human-like problem solving. The programme that solves progressive matrices scores IQ 100 and has the unique ability of being able to solve the problems without having access to any response alternatives. The group has improved the programme that specialises in number sequences to the point where it is now able to ace the tests, implying an IQ of at least 150.

'Our programmes are beating the conventional math programmes because we are combining mathematics and psychology. Our method can potentially be used to identify patterns in any data with a psychological component, such as financial data. But it is not as good at finding patterns in more science-type data, such as weather data, since then the human psyche is not involved,' says Strannegård.

That's an awesome study.

This looks really interesting. It reminds me of Hofstadter's work described in Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies.

Can anyone point to the paper behind this press release?

There doesn't appear to be one yet, just a talk given at a philosophy conference in 2011. The abstract is here (p.21), but it doesn't say anything that isn't in the newspaper account.