Herbert A. Simon

1903

Simon's father, Arthur Simon (1881–1948), was a Jewish electrical engineer who came to the United States from Germany in 1903 after earning his engineering degree at Technische Hochschule Darmstadt.

1916

Herbert Alexander Simon (June 15, 1916 – February 9, 2001) was an American economist, political scientist and cognitive psychologist, whose primary research interest was decision-making within organizations and is best known for the theories of "bounded rationality" and "satisficing".

He was among the earliest to analyze the architecture of complexity and to propose a preferential attachment mechanism to explain power law distributions. ==Early life and education== Herbert Alexander Simon was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on June 15, 1916.

1930

He was greatly influenced by the marginalist debate that began in the 1930s.

1933

While attending high school, Simon joined the debate team, where he argued "from conviction, rather than cussedness" in favor of George's single tax. In 1933, Simon entered the University of Chicago, and, following his early influences, decided to study social science and mathematics.

1938

After enrolling in a course on "Measuring Municipal Governments," Simon became a research assistant for Clarence Ridley, and the two co-authored Measuring Municipal Activities: A Survey of Suggested Criteria for Appraising Administration in 1938.

2, 29–49. ==Personal life and interests== Simon married Dorothea Pye in 1938.

1942

Simon's studies led him to the field of organizational decision-making, which became the subject of his doctoral dissertation. ==Career== After graduating with his undergraduate degree, Simon obtained a research assistantship in municipal administration which turned into a directorship at the University of California, Berkeley. From 1942 to 1949, Simon was a professor of political science and also served as department chairman at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.

1947

Because of this, his work can be found in a number of economic literary works, making contributions to areas such as mathematical economics including theorem, human rationality, behavioral study of firms, theory of casual ordering, and the analysis of the parameter identification problem in econometrics. ===Decision-making=== Administrative Behavior, first published in 1947 and updated across the years, was based on Simon's doctoral dissertation.

1948

His organization and administration interest allowed him to not only serve three times as a university department chairman, but he also played a big part in the creation of the Economic Cooperation Administration in 1948; administrative team that administered aid to the Marshall Plan for the U.S.

1949

He was at Carnegie Mellon University for most of his career, from 1949 to 2001. Notably, Simon was among the pioneers of several modern-day scientific domains such as artificial intelligence, information processing, decision-making, problem-solving, organization theory, and complex systems.

Simon's studies led him to the field of organizational decision-making, which became the subject of his doctoral dissertation. ==Career== After graduating with his undergraduate degree, Simon obtained a research assistantship in municipal administration which turned into a directorship at the University of California, Berkeley. From 1942 to 1949, Simon was a professor of political science and also served as department chairman at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.

Marschak brought Simon in to assist in the study he was currently undertaking with Sam Schurr of the "prospective economic effects of atomic energy". From 1949 to 2001, Simon was a faculty member at Carnegie-Mellon University, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

In 1949, Simon became a professor of administration and chairman of the Department of Industrial Management at Carnegie Institute of Technology ("Carnegie Tech"), which, in 1967, became Carnegie-Mellon University.

1950

His wife died in 2002. From 1950 to 1955, Simon studied mathematical economics and during this time, together with David Hawkins, discovered and proved the Hawkins–Simon theorem on the "conditions for the existence of positive solution vectors for input-output matrices".

Founded during the 1950s, he was among the first members of the Society for General Systems Research. Simon had a keen interest in the arts, as he was a pianist.

1954

Having begun to apply these theorems to organizations, by 1954 Simon determined that the best way to study problem-solving was to simulate it with computer programs, which led to his interest in computer simulation of human cognition.

1955

His wife died in 2002. From 1950 to 1955, Simon studied mathematical economics and during this time, together with David Hawkins, discovered and proved the Hawkins–Simon theorem on the "conditions for the existence of positive solution vectors for input-output matrices".

1956

"Reply: Surrogates for Uncertain Decision Problems", Office of Naval Research, January 1956. – Reprinted in 1982, In: H.A.

1957

In 1957, Simon predicted that computer chess would surpass human chess abilities within "ten years" when, in reality, that transition took about forty years. In the early 1960s psychologist Ulric Neisser asserted that while machines are capable of replicating "cold cognition" behaviors such as reasoning, planning, perceiving, and deciding, they would never be able to replicate "[cognition]" behaviors such as pain, pleasure, desire, and other emotions.

1960

In 1957, Simon predicted that computer chess would surpass human chess abilities within "ten years" when, in reality, that transition took about forty years. In the early 1960s psychologist Ulric Neisser asserted that while machines are capable of replicating "cold cognition" behaviors such as reasoning, planning, perceiving, and deciding, they would never be able to replicate "[cognition]" behaviors such as pain, pleasure, desire, and other emotions.

1963

Simon responded to Neisser's views in 1963 by writing a paper on emotional cognition, which he updated in 1967 and published in Psychological Review.

1967

In 1949, Simon became a professor of administration and chairman of the Department of Industrial Management at Carnegie Institute of Technology ("Carnegie Tech"), which, in 1967, became Carnegie-Mellon University.

Simon responded to Neisser's views in 1963 by writing a paper on emotional cognition, which he updated in 1967 and published in Psychological Review.

1975

He received the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1978 and the Turing Award in 1975.

A chess expert was said to have learned about 50,000 chunks or chess position patterns. He was awarded the ACM Turing Award, along with Allen Newell, in 1975.

1977

2 (1991), pp. 25–44. ==Further reading== Courtois, P.J., 1977.

1978

He received the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1978 and the Turing Award in 1975.

It was in this area that he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1978. At the Cowles Commission, Simon's main goal was to link economic theory to mathematics and statistics.

1979

In 1979, Simon still maintained these ideas and argued that land value tax should replace taxes on wages. Some of Simon's economic research was directed toward understanding technological change in general and the information processing revolution in particular. ===Pedagogy=== Simon's work has strongly influenced John Mighton, developer of a program that has achieved significant success in improving mathematics performance among elementary and high school students.

1982

book on human decision-making and information processing, based on lectures he gave at Stanford in 1982.

"Reply: Surrogates for Uncertain Decision Problems", Office of Naval Research, January 1956. – Reprinted in 1982, In: H.A.

1985

2 (Jun., 1985), pp. 293–304 1989 (with M.J.

1996

in 1996, MIT Press. 1972 (with Allen Newell).

1997

in 1997, The Free Press 1957.

2001

Herbert Alexander Simon (June 15, 1916 – February 9, 2001) was an American economist, political scientist and cognitive psychologist, whose primary research interest was decision-making within organizations and is best known for the theories of "bounded rationality" and "satisficing".

He was at Carnegie Mellon University for most of his career, from 1949 to 2001. Notably, Simon was among the pioneers of several modern-day scientific domains such as artificial intelligence, information processing, decision-making, problem-solving, organization theory, and complex systems.

Marschak brought Simon in to assist in the study he was currently undertaking with Sam Schurr of the "prospective economic effects of atomic energy". From 1949 to 2001, Simon was a faculty member at Carnegie-Mellon University, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

In January 2001, Simon underwent surgery at UPMC Presbyterian to remove a cancerous tumor in his abdomen.

2002

His wife died in 2002. From 1950 to 1955, Simon studied mathematical economics and during this time, together with David Hawkins, discovered and proved the Hawkins–Simon theorem on the "conditions for the existence of positive solution vectors for input-output matrices".

2016

As of 2016, Simon was the most cited person in artificial intelligence and cognitive psychology on Google Scholar.




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