18.3 Sel&Modification via Supercompilation 319 schema learning the learning of schemata carrying out cognitive processes in more specialized, context-dependent ways than the general MindAgents do. Eventually, once a CogPrime instance becomes sufficiently complex and advanced, these cognitive schema may replace the MindAgents altogether, leaving the system to operate almost entirely based on cognitive schemata. In order to make the process of cognitive schema learning easier, we may provide a number of elementary schemata embodying the basic cognitive processes contained in the MindAgents. Of course, cognitive schemata need not use these they may embody entirely different cognitive processes than the MindAgents. Eventually, we want the system to discover better ways of doing things than anything even hinted at by its initial MindAgents. But for the initial phases or the system’s schema learning, it will have a much easier time learning to use the basic cognitive operations as the initial MindAgents, rather than inventing new ways of thinking from scratch! For instance, we may provide elementary schemata corresponding to inference operations, such as Schema: Deduction Input InheritanceLink: X, Y Output InheritanceLink The inference MindAgents apply this rule in certain ways, designed to be reasonably effective in a variety of situations. But there are certainly other ways of using the deduction rule, outside of the basic control strategies embodied in the inference MindAgents. By learning schemata in- volving the Deduction schema, the system can learn special, context-specific rules for combining deduction with concept-formation, association-formation and other cognitive processes. And as it gets smarter, it can then take these schemata involving the Deduction schema, and replace it with a new schema that eg. contains a context-appropriate deduction formula. Eventually, to support cognitive schema learning, we will want to cast the hard-wired MindA- gents as cogn