lated descriptions include a computational description, and algorithmic description, and an implementational description. The computational level of cognitive science gives a formal desrciption of the functions that an information processor carries out. The algorithmic description describes procedures something carries out as well as the tasks involved in accomplishing its task. An implementational desciption describes what something is physically, how it was made, and what is does physically (Andrews, The tri-level hypothesis).Different processes can be described using the tri-level hypothesis. I will use the example of the turing machine to demonstrate the tri-level hypothesis. When describing the something one starts off by descibing it's implementation level, the physical desciption. The turing machine consists of a tape, a reader and a writer. The next part of a complete description is the algorithmic level. For a Turing machine an algorithmic description would a table of instructions detailing what to do if a certain situation occurs and what steps to follow. Finally, the computational description of a turing machine would be depend on the exact function that was being carried out. A set example can't be given becuase a turing machine is a hypothetical machine. Each of these levels of the tri-level hypothesis contains limitations. The limitations of the implementational level is that one can't be sure where part of the machine is necessary for it to function. Limitations on the algorithmic level occur because a formal account of information and the manner of its manipulation cannot describe the task very well. Limitations occur at the computational level because one needs the lower two levels to fully explain a process....
