ICS
Interacting Cognitive Subsystems
Interacting Cognitive Subsystems (ICS) is a part of a theoretical movement within cognitive psychology that represents the human information processing mechanism as a highly parallel organisation with a modular structure.
AnimICS
To help people understand how ICS works, we have developed a suite of animations that illustrate the way that information flows between different levels of mental representation. We have used these animations since 1990 in talks, seminars, teaching and presentations at conferences.
We are now updating them as a set of shockwave files that can be viewed in any web browser with a shockwave plugin.
Please be aware that the complete AnimICS has not yet been converted to shockwave. If you click on a button that does nothing, then the file it is looking for is not yet ready. Please bear with us!
SCREEN SIZE WARNING: These movies are at 640x480 pixels. If you are viewing them in a web browser then the browser frame and buttons will take up some of the screen, and so you will need a monitor that is larger than 640x480. If you only have a 640x480 monitor, you will not be able to see the whole of the screen. In this case, we recommend that you download the AnimICS Projector and the .dcr files (see below) and run them on your own Mac, not over the web. We regret that a PC Projector is not yet available (coming soon...)
An older set of pages that use screen shots from AnimICS can be viewed from any browser.
Dynamics
A new project, financed by an EPSRC PhD studentship, is trying to build a running model of ICS. Some trivial versions have been written in Director to illustrate the idea, and you can access Shockwave versions.
Downloading AnimICS
If you would like to download AnimICS to run on your own mac, rather than over the web, the files are all available (see below for a map of the files):
- AnimICS.hqx
- - the Mac Projector which runs the show (avoids using a browser).
Last update: 22 June 98
- Main.hqx
- - top level files.
Last update: 30 June 98
- Config.hqx
- - configurations of activity.
Last update: 22 June 98
- Broad.hqx
- - broader examples
Last update: 22 June 98
- Structure.hqx
- - structure of representations
Last update: 22 June 98
- Exp.hqx
- - empirical evidence
Last update: 22 June 98
- Sources.hqx
- - the Director scripts of AnimICS.Talk and AnimICS.Toolbox for those who want to design their own AnimICS modules.
Last update: 22 June 98
Download all of the files into the same folder, unbinhex and unstuff them, and doubleclick AnimICS to run.
This map shows what the various files do what - a little more information is available from within AnimICS.Index.menu
Emergency exits...
Amodeus