Kedves Kollegak,
Hadd osszam meg az alabbi felhivast a lista olvasoival. Ha valaki tud olyanrol,
akit erdekelne, terjessze batran. Udvozlettel,
Biro Tamas
Call for Participation and Call for Posters:
============================================
Optimality Theory as a General Cognitive Architecture
Workshop held at the 33rd annual meeting of the Cognitive Science Society
July 20, 2011 in Boston, Massachusetts
Short Summary:
==============
Optimality Theory has been a very popular approach to linguistic phenomena, but
how does it relate to (higher) cognition in general? Twenty-five years after
the publication of Harmony Theory (Smolensky, 1986), and five years after The
Harmonic Mind (Smolensky and Legendre, 2006), this half-day workshop at the
33rd annual meeting of the Cognitive Science Society offers an opportunity to
discuss the place of OT (and HG, and the ICS Architecture) within the cognitive
sciences at large, as well as applications of OT to domains beyond linguistics.
Longer description and Call for Posters:
========================================
Organizers: Tamas Biro and Judit Gervain
Website:
http://www.birot.hu/events/OTGCA/.
Harmony Theory (Smolensky, 1986), introduced exactly 25 years ago, became one
of the most popular current approaches to linguistics in the form of Optimality
Theory (OT, Prince and Smolensky 1993). While most people in the OT camp focus
on particular linguistic problems, the underlying motivations of the theory
warrant a constant connection between OT and the (computational) cognitive
sciences. The aim of this workshop is to discuss the place of Optimality Theory
(and related approaches: Harmony Grammar and the ICS Architecture) within the
cognitive sciences at large.
In The Harmonic Mind (2006), Smolensky and Legendre repeatedly allude to the
possibility of applying their ICS Architecture to a broad spectrum of domains
in (higher) cognition, while maintaining the connection between higher
(abstract) level description and lower (neural) level processing. At the same
time, some scholars have already adopted Optimality Theory to specific,
non-linguistic phenomena, including culture and ethical decision making.
Thirdly, experimental and computational OT research often tackle issues that
fit nicely into the cognitive psychological tradition, thereby building new
bridges between linguistics and other cognitive domains.
Yet, it is sad to see the lack of opportunities for scholars working on OT as a
general cognitive architecture to share their ideas. Even less collaboration is
going on between the OT-camp and those employing utility function-based models
in computational biology, psychology or economics. Therefore, the workshop
offers a meeting point to those applying OT to non-linguistic domains, as well
as an opportunity to discuss the place of OT, HG and ICS within the cognitive
sciences.
The half-day-long workshop consists of a key-note address by Paul Smolensky, as
well as by papers delivered by Petra Hendriks, Lotte Hogeweg, Doug Jones,
Geraldine Legendre and Giorgio Magri. Additionally, the workshop will also
feature a poster session.
We thus seek posters describing new results and addressing, primarily, though
not exclusively, the following issues:
* Optimality Theory and Harmony Grammar as general frameworks of (higher)
cognition.
* OT/HG-style analyses of phenomena belonging to (primarily,
non-linguistic) domains that have not yet employed OT.
* The connection of linguistic OT/HG to the study of other (higher)
cognitive functions.
* OT compared to HG, from theoretical-mathematical and
cognitive-neuroscientific perspectives.
* OT/HG-style formalisms compared to utility function-based approaches from
a mathematical-computational perspective; their place in explaining the
brain/mind.
* Relating connectionist and symbolic approaches: the ICS Architecture and
its eventual alternatives.
* Ontogenetic aspects of OT/HG approaches (learnability).
* Phylogenetic aspects of OT/HG approaches (including historical change,
evolutionary models, etc.).
1-page-long abstracts are solicited by May 20, to be sent to Tamas Biro
(t.s.biro(a)uva.nl). Notification of acceptance is due by May 31.
Further information, including a longer description of the workshop is getting
gradually available on the website of the workshop:
http://www.birot.hu/events/OTGCA/.
And a final note:
One of the aims of the workshop is to gauge ongoing work and eventual interest
in using OT beyond linguistics, either in other domains, or as a general
cognitive architecture. Therefore, if you cannot join us in Boston for whatever
reason, but you are nevertheless interested in contributing to the theme of the
workshop, for instance in the form of a paper in an eventual volume coming out
of the meeting, then you are still extremely welcome to contact us.