CVNet - call for papers; Consciousness conference

From: Color and Vision Network (cvnet@lawton.ewind.com)
Date: Thu Jan 27 2000 - 16:12:04 PST

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    To: <psyche-b@LISTSERV.UH.EDU>
    From: patrickw@csse.monash.edu.au (Patrick Wilken)
    Subject: CFP: ASSC4 "The Unity of Consciousness: Binding, Integration & Dissociation"

               ASSOCIATION FOR THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF CONSCIOUSNESS

                      -----------------------------------
                      4TH ANNUAL MEETING: 2ND CALL FOR PAPERS
                      -----------------------------------

                          THE UNITY OF CONSCIOUSNESS:
                     BINDING, INTEGRATION, AND DISSOCIATION

                         Universite Libre de Bruxelles
                 JUNE 29th - JULY 2nd, 2000: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

    The fourth meeting of the Association for the Scientific Study of
    Consciousness will be held from June 29th to July 2nd, 2000, at the
    Universite Libre de Bruxelles (Brussels, Belgium) on the theme of "The
    Unity of Consciousness".

    Consciousness has many elements, from sensory experiences such as
    vision, audition, and bodily sensation, to nonsensory aspects such as
    volition, emotion, memory, and thought. The apparent unity of these
    elements is striking: all are presented to us as experiences of a single
    subject, and all seem to be contained within a unified field of
    experience, but this apparent unity raises many questions. How do
    diverse systems in the brain co-operate to produce a unified experience?
    Are there conditions under which this unity breaks down? And is
    conscious experience really unified at all?

    In recent years, these questions have been addressed by researchers in
    many fields. Neurophysiologists and computational modelers have
    investigated the mechanisms by which binding and integration of
    disparate information may take place in the brain, producing a unified
    experience. Neuropsychological research has documented a large variety
    of dissociation disorders in which damage to specific brain regions
    leads to dissociated experiences, suggesting the apparent disintegration
    of a unified subject. Cognitive psychologists have investigated the role
    of attention and learning in the integration of information, and have
    examined conditions under which perception and action, or subjective
    experience and behavior, can become dissociated. Some cognitive modelers
    have suggested that unity is a mere illusion, while others have
    emphasized the role of a central unifying system in integrating sensory
    and motor experience. Meanwhile philosophers have analyzed just what the unity
    of consciousness comes to, and whether we have reason to believe that it
    exists.

    The fourth ASSC conference will bring together researchers from numerous
    disciplines to discuss these issues. Topics that will be addressed
    include:

    - the role of synchronous oscillations in binding and integration
    - other neurophysiological mechanisms for integration of information
    - computational models of binding, integration, and unity
    - neuropsychological disorders with dissociation of experience
    - the role of attention and learning in unification of experience
    - dissociations between perceptual systems
    - implicit vs. explicit aspects of knowledge and learning
    - dissociations between perception, thought, and action
    - the relationship between information integration and unified experience
    - analysis of the concept of unity
    - unification of consciousness and self across time
    - the existence or nonexistence of unified consciousness

    Confirmed plenary speakers include: Rodney Cotterill, Zoltan Dienes,
    Andreas Engel, Glyn Humphreys, Susan Hurley, Pierre Perruchet, Randy
    O'Reilly, Sydney Shoemaker, Catherine Tallon-Baudry, Giulio Tononi,
    Anne Treisman, Francisco Varela, Andrew Young, and Semir Zeki.

    -------------------------
    CALL FOR PAPERS & POSTERS
    -------------------------

    While the central theme of ASSC4 is "The unity of consciousness", and
    plenary sessions will deal largely with this theme, speakers in
    concurrent sessions are invited to talk on any topic relevant to the
    scientific study of consciousness. Submissions that include
    physiological, psychological, philosophical, and computational
    perspectives are all welcome.

    Submissions for both posters and talks will be accepted. Any person may
    present only one submission, but may be co-author on several. Oral
    presentations will be limited to 20 minutes, to be followed by a
    10-minute discussion period.

    Plenary lectures, symposia, concurrent sessions, and poster sessions
    will all be held on the Solbosch campus of the Universite Libre de
    Bruxelles.

    ---------------------------
    CALL FOR WORKSHOP PROPOSALS
    ---------------------------

    This notice is also intended as a call for workshop presenters. One of
    the aims of this meeting is to allow researchers to gain a background in
    areas that they may know little about. Towards that end a number of
    workshops are planned. Is there a topic you or perhaps someone in your
    laboratory might want to present? Some participants in the conference
    would be very interested in learning about technical matters such as
    fMRI or other important brain imaging techniques. Others might enjoy a
    seminar on a philosophical topic. If you have recently published a book
    or major article on some topic you might want to lead a discussion on
    it. As with papers the focus of all workshops should naturally fit
    within the overall theme of the conference. A non-exclusive list of
    possible topics might include:

        -- The latest methods and implications of various brain scanning
           techniques (e.g. fMRI, EEG, SQUID, ERP)
        -- Blindsight, neglect, or other neuropsychological syndromes
        -- Neural network or other theoretical models of processing in areas
           related to conscious activity
        -- Differences and similarities between conscious and unconscious
           processing
        -- Current models of the visual system
        -- Consciousness and metacognition
        -- Criteria for the ascription of consciousness
        -- Philosophical issues concerning unity
        -- Phenomenological methods for investigating
           consciousness
        -- Please suggest other sample topics, or modify the above!!

    Workshops will be held in parallel sessions on the morning and
    afternoon of June 29th. Each workshop is intended to last
    approximately three hours. The sizes of workshops will vary between a
    minimum of 10 to a maximum of around 25 people. Workshops that do not
    achieve the minimum enrollment of 10 people will not be offered.
    Workshop presenters will receive a minimum honorarium of 20000 BEF.
    Worskhop registration fee will be 2000 BEF.

    To submit workshop proposals, or to suggest further topics, please write
    to Patrick Wilken at <patrickw@cs.monash.edu.au>.

    ---------------------------------------------------
    SUBMISSION OF PAPERS, POSTERS & WORKSHOP PROPOSALS
    ---------------------------------------------------

    WORKSHOP PROPOSALS MUST BE RECEIVED BY JANUARY 17th, 2000.
    PAPER AND POSTER SUBMISSIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY FEBRUARY 15th, 2000

    All submissions must include the following information in the order listed
    below:

    1. Title.

    2. Name, affiliation, and ASSC membership status of each co-author.

    3. An abstract of up to 200 words for paper and poster submissions and
       of up to 500 words for workshop proposals.

    4. Complete contact information for the author with whom the scientific
       programme committee will interact with about the submission:

    - Name
    - Institutional affiliation
    - Postal address
    - Email address
    - Telephone and fax numbers

    In addition paper and poster proposals should include the following
    information:

    5. One or two keywords describing the domain of your contribution

    6. An indication of which co-author will present the paper/poster/workshop
       at the meeting.

    7. An indication of whether the proposal is submitted as a:
       a. Spoken presentation
       b. Poster presentation

    8. An indication of your willingness to switch presentation format if
       your proposal cannot be included in the programme as per your stated
       preference.

    WORKSHOP PROPOSALS:

    1. Please send your proposal to Patrick Wilken <patrickw@csse.monash.edu.au>.

    PAPER & POSTER PROPOSALS:

    To submit your proposal(s) for inclusion in the programme, please do one
    of the following (listed in order of preference):

    1. Send electronic mail to <assc4sub@ulb.ac.be>, with the words
        "ASSC4 ABSTRACT SUBMISSION" followed by the last name of the
        presenting co-author in the Subject: field of your message

    2. Fill out the electronic submission form available on this page:
        http://www.ulb.ac.be/event/ASSC4/sub/onlinesub.html

    3. Fax your proposal to this number: +322 650 33 39. Make sure the
        cover page includes the address indicated below.

    4. Send a hardcopy of your proposal to:

        ASSC4
        c/o Axel Cleeremans
        Cognitive Science Research Unit
        Universite Libre de Bruxelles
        50 ave. F.-D. Roosevelt CP 122
        B-1050 Brussels
        BELGIUM

    ------------
    REGISTRATION
    ------------

    Deadline for early registration: April 30th, 2000.

    Registration fees: Early Late
    Non-members 6000 BEF 8000 BEF
    ASSC members 5000 BEF 7000 BEF
    Students 2500 BEF 3000 BEF
    Student ASSC members 2000 BEF 2500 BEF

    Note: All fees should be paid in Belgian Francs.

    Membership registration must be received by May 15th, 2000 to ensure
    discount.

    Separate registration is required for workshops.

    To register, please follow the instructions available from the
    conference website:

    http://www.ulb.ac.be/event/ASSC4/reg/index.html

    Address all enquiries about registration to <assc4reg@ulb.ac.be>

    -------------------
    FURTHER INFORMATION
    -------------------

    Please check the conference website for further information about the
    meeting, including information about paper and poster submissions;
    registration and submission forms; information about travel to Brussels
    and accomodations; and information about the scientific programme of the
    meeting:

    http://www.ulb.ac.be/event/ASSC4/

    Tune in frequently -- the site will be constantly updated to reflect the
    latest information. To enquire about any aspect of the conference,
    please write to the local organizer at <assc4@ulb.ac.be>.

    To find out more about the Association for the Scientific Study of
    Consciousness, and to apply for membership, please consult:

    http://assc.caltech.edu

    The ASSC publishes two scientific journals about which further
    information is available from the following websites:

    PSYCHE: http://psyche.cs.monash.edu.au/
    Consciousness & Cognition: http://www.apnet.com/www/journal/cc.htm

    ----------------------------------------
    Axel Cleeremans

    on behalf of the Scientific Programme Committee:
    David Chalmers
    Axel Cleeremans
    Christof Koch
    Philip Merikle
    Antti Revonsuo
    Patrick Wilken



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