In contrast to conventional (forward) engineering, which takes a plan or specification as input and outputs a product, reverse engineering takes a completed entity as input and aims to derive or reconstruct its specifications.
Highlights
- Reverse engineering models of cognition involves Marr’s computational level: “The computational level characterizes the problem that a system solves and the principles by which its solution can be computed from the available inputs in natural environments … Reverse-engineering means beginning at the computational level, trying to understand the function of a system before diving into algorithms and implementation. For this reason, we have referred to it as a top-down or function-first approach” (33).