Procedural Memory Is Not All You Need: Bridging Cognitive Gaps in LLM-Based Agents

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Wheeler, Schaun, Jeunen, Olivier
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2025
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author Wheeler, Schaun
Jeunen, Olivier
author_facet Wheeler, Schaun
Jeunen, Olivier
contents Large Language Models (LLMs) represent a landmark achievement in Artificial Intelligence (AI), demonstrating unprecedented proficiency in procedural tasks such as text generation, code completion, and conversational coherence. These capabilities stem from their architecture, which mirrors human procedural memory -- the brain's ability to automate repetitive, pattern-driven tasks through practice. However, as LLMs are increasingly deployed in real-world applications, it becomes impossible to ignore their limitations operating in complex, unpredictable environments. This paper argues that LLMs, while transformative, are fundamentally constrained by their reliance on procedural memory. To create agents capable of navigating ``wicked'' learning environments -- where rules shift, feedback is ambiguous, and novelty is the norm -- we must augment LLMs with semantic memory and associative learning systems. By adopting a modular architecture that decouples these cognitive functions, we can bridge the gap between narrow procedural expertise and the adaptive intelligence required for real-world problem-solving.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_03434
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Procedural Memory Is Not All You Need: Bridging Cognitive Gaps in LLM-Based Agents
Wheeler, Schaun
Jeunen, Olivier
Artificial Intelligence
Machine Learning
Large Language Models (LLMs) represent a landmark achievement in Artificial Intelligence (AI), demonstrating unprecedented proficiency in procedural tasks such as text generation, code completion, and conversational coherence. These capabilities stem from their architecture, which mirrors human procedural memory -- the brain's ability to automate repetitive, pattern-driven tasks through practice. However, as LLMs are increasingly deployed in real-world applications, it becomes impossible to ignore their limitations operating in complex, unpredictable environments. This paper argues that LLMs, while transformative, are fundamentally constrained by their reliance on procedural memory. To create agents capable of navigating ``wicked'' learning environments -- where rules shift, feedback is ambiguous, and novelty is the norm -- we must augment LLMs with semantic memory and associative learning systems. By adopting a modular architecture that decouples these cognitive functions, we can bridge the gap between narrow procedural expertise and the adaptive intelligence required for real-world problem-solving.
title Procedural Memory Is Not All You Need: Bridging Cognitive Gaps in LLM-Based Agents
topic Artificial Intelligence
Machine Learning
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.03434