Learning to perceive in the sensor motor approach: Piaget's theory of equilibration interpreted dynamically

Learning to perceive is faced with a classical paradox: if understanding is required for perception, how can we learn to perceive something new, something we do not yet understand? According to the sensorimotor approach, perception involves mastery of regular sensorimotor co-variations that depend on the agent and the environment, also known as the "laws" of sensorimotor contingencies (SMCs). In this sense, perception involves enacting relevant sensorimotor skills in each situation. It is important for this proposal that such skills can be learned and refined with experience and yet up to this date, the sensorimotor approach has had no explicit theory of perceptual learning. The situation is made more complex if we acknowledge the open-ended nature of human learning. In this paper we propose Piaget's theory of equilibration as a potential candidate to fulfill this role. This theory highlights the importance of intrinsic sensorimotor norms, in terms of the closure of sensorimotor schemes. It also explains how the equilibration of a sensorimotor organization faced with novelty or breakdowns proceeds by re-shaping pre-existing structures in coupling with dynamical regularities of the world. This way learning to perceive is guided by the equilibration of emerging forms of skillful coping with the world. We demonstrate the compatibility between Piaget's theory and the sensorimotor approach by providing a dynamical formalization of equilibration to give an explicit micro-genetic account of sensorimotor learning and, by extension, of how we learn to perceive. This allows us to draw important lessons in the form of general principles for open-ended sensorimotor learning, including the need for an intrinsic normative evaluation by the agent itself. We also explore implications of our micro-genetic account at the personal level.

Structural Synthesis of 3-DoF Spatial Fully Parallel Manipulators

In this paper, the architectures of three degrees of freedom (3-DoF) spatial, fully parallel manipulators (PMs), whose limbs are structurally identical, are obtained systematically. To do this, the methodology followed makes use of the concepts of the displacement group theory of rigid body motion. This theory works with so-called 'motion generators'. That is, every limb is a kinematic chain that produces a certain type of displacement in the mobile platform or end-effector. The laws of group algebra will determine the actual motion pattern of the end-effector. The structural synthesis is a combinatorial process of different kinematic chains' topologies employed in order to get all of the 3-DoF motion pattern possibilities in the end-effector of the fully parallel manipulator.

Newtonen mugimenduaren legeen azterketa Lehen Hezkuntzan

[Eus] Lan honetan Lehen Hezkuntzako hirugarren zikloko ikasleek fisikaren barnean Newtonen mugimenduen legeei buruz zer dakitenaren azterketa kuantitatibo bat egitea izan da. Horretarako, Gernika-Lumoko Seber Altube ikastolako 94 ikasleri Lehen Hezkuntzako ikasleentzat moldatutako FCI (Force Concept Inventory) testa pasatu zitzaien, ondoren emaitzak aztertzeko. Egindako ikerketan aurkitutako emaitzek, aurretiaz gai honi buruz izan diren lanekin bat egiten dute, generoaren araberako ezberdintasunak baztertuz eta Newtonen legeen artean emaitzen arteko ezberdintasun esanguratsuak azalduz.

La memoria vengativa y la política del olvido

Contribución presentada al curso "Conflictos, treguas y amnistías en el mundo antiguo", desarrollado en agosto de 1999 en el marco de los XVIII Cursos de Verano de la UPV/EHU en Donostia.