Conceptual Change in Learning Naive Physics: The Computational Model as a Theory Revision Process

This work concerns a research project aiming at studying whether a machine learning system could reproduce the changes in the concept of force observed in children. The theoretical framework proposed considers learning as a process of formation and revision of a logical theory. INTHELEX, an incremental learning system, was used to emulate the transitions occurring in the human learning process. The experiment proved very interesting both for improving the computational model and for supporting a conceptual change by means of a model shift.