[vslist] Worshop on "Modeling Cognitive Development"

Mon Jan 19 13:13:01 2004

EPIROB2004--EPIROB2004--EPIROB2004--EPIROB2004--EPIROB2004
EPIROB2004
EPIROB2004     CALL FOR PAPERS
EPIROB2004
EPIROB2004     Fourth International Workshop on Epigenetic Robotics:
EPIROB2004     Modeling Cognitive Development in Robotic Systems
EPIROB2004
EPIROB2004     http://www.epigenetic-robotics.org
EPIROB2004
EPIROB2004
EPIROB2004     August 25-27, 2004
EPIROB2004     Location: LIRA-Lab, University of Genoa
EPIROB2004     Genoa, Italy
EPIROB2004
EPIROB2004
EPIROB2004     Submission Deadline: March 1st, 2004
EPIROB2004 EPIROB2004--EPIROB2004--EPIROB2004--EPIROB2004--EPIROB2004
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This workshop focuses on combining developmental psychology,
neuroscience,=20
biology, and robotics with the goal of understanding the functioning =
of=20
biological systems. Epigenetic systems, either natural or artificial,
share=20
a prolonged developmental process through which varied and complex=
=20
cognitive and perceptual structures emerge as a result of the
interaction of

an embodied system with a physical and social environment.
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Epigenetic robotics includes the two-fold goal of understanding
biological=20
systems by the interdisciplinary integration between neural and
engineering=20
sciences and, simultaneously, that of enabling robots and artificial
systems

to develop skills for any particular environment instead of programmi=
ng
them

for specific environments. To this aim, psychological theory and
empirical=20
evidence should be used to inform epigenetic robotic models, and thes=
e
models=20
should be used as theoretical tools to make experimental predictions =
in=20
developmental psychology.
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We encourage the submission from different disciplines such as roboti=
cs,

artificial intelligence, developmental psychology, biology or
neurophysiology,=20
as well as interdisciplinary work bridging the gap between science an=
d=20
engineering.
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Subject Areas include, but are not limited to:
* The role of motivations, emotions, and value systems in development=
;
* The development of: concepts, consciousness and self-awareness,
emotion,=20
imitation, intentionality, intersubjectivity, joint attention, learni=
ng,

motivation, non-verbal and verbal communication, self, sensorimotor
schemata,=20
shared meaning and symbolic reference, social learning, social
relationships,=20
social understanding (=93mind reading=94, =93theory of mind=94), valu=
e systems;
* Interaction between innate structure, ongoing developing structure,
and=20
experience;
* Related issues in algorithms, robotics, simulated robots, and embod=
ied

systems;
* Strong AI (true intelligence and autonomy) versus weak AI;
* Related issues from human and nonhuman empirical studies.
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For summaries of the papers from the latest workshops see: Zlatev and
Balkenius (2001), Prince (2002), and Berthouze and Prince (2003).
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Please send any questions to the workshop co-chairs:=20
Giorgio Metta (pasa@dist.unige.it) and Luc Berthouze
(Luc.Berthouze@aist.go.jp).
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Sponsors
LIRA-Lab, University of Genoa, Italy
Communications Research Laboratory, Japan
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=20
Location
University of Genoa, Italy

Genoa is the "2004 European Capital of Culture"=20
see http://www.genova-2004.it/ for an updated list of events and
exibitions
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Invited Speakers
        Luciano Fadiga, Dept. of Biomedical Sciences, University of
Ferrara, Italy
        Claes von Hofsten, Dept. of Psychology, University of Upssala=
,
Sweden
        J=FCrgen Konczak, Human Sensorimotor Control Lab, University =
of
Minnesota, USA
        Jacqueline Nadel, CNRS, University Pierre & Marie Curie, Pari=
s,
France
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Submissions
Papers not exceeding eight (8) pages should be submitted electronical=
ly
(PDF or=20
Postscript) as attachment files to Luc Berthouze
(Luc.Berthouze@aist.go.jp). Extended=20
abstracts (maximum two pages) can also be submitted, and will be
presented as posters=20
(extended abstracts should also be submitted in PDF or Postscript as
attachments to=20
Luc Berthouze (Luc.Berthouze@aist.go.jp). Further instructions to
authors will be=20
posted on the workshop web page: http://www.epigenetic-robotics.org
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Important Dates
March 1st, 2004:            Deadline for submission of papers and
posters
April 21st, 2004:            Notification of acceptance for papers an=
d
posters
May 21st, 2004:             Deadline for camera ready-papers & poster=
s
August 25-27, 2004:       Workshop
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Organizing Committee
Christian Balkenius (Cognitive Science, Lund University, Sweden) Luc
Berthouze (Neuroscience Research Institute, AIST, Japan) Hideki Kozim=
a
(Communications Research Laboratory, Japan) Giorgio Metta (LIRA-Lab,
University of Genoa, Italy) Giulio Sandini (LIRA-Lab, University of
Genoa, Italy) Georgi Stojanov (Computer Science Institute, SS Cyril a=
nd
Methodius University, Macedonia)
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Program Committee
Christian Balkenius (Cognitive Science, Lund University, Sweden) Luc
Berthouze (Neuroscience Research Institute, AIST, Japan) Aude Billard
(Autonomous Systems Laboratory, EPFL, Switzerland) Daniel Bullock
(Cognitive & Neural Systems Department, Boston University,
USA)
Kerstin Dautenhahn (Adaptive Systems Research Group, University of
Hertfordshire, UK) Yiannis Demiris (Intelligent and Interactive Syste=
ms,
Imperial College, UK) Luciano Fadiga (University of Ferrara, Italy)
Peter G=E4rdenfors (Cognitive Science, Lund University, Sweden) Phili=
ppe
Gaussier (Universite de Cergy-Pointoise & ENSEA, France) Gyorgy Gerge=
ly
(Institute for Psychological Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences,
Hungary) Fr=E9d=E9ric Kaplan (Sony Computer Science Lab Paris, France=
)
Hideki Kozima (Communications Research Laboratory, Japan) Valerie
Kuhlmeier (Yale University, Department of Psychology, USA) Max
Lungarella (Neuroscience Research Institute, AIST, Japan) Yuval Marom
(Division of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, UK) Giorgio Metta
(LIRA-Lab, Genoa, Italy) Jacqueline Nadel (CNRS, France) Chrystopher
Nehaniv (Adaptive Systems Research Group, University of Hertfordshire=
,
UK) Rolf Pfeifer (AI Lab, University of Zurich, Switzerland) Christop=
her
G. Prince (Computer Science, University of Minnesota Duluth,
USA)
Deb Roy (Media Laboratory, MIT, USA)
Giulio Sandini (LIRA-Lab, Genoa, Italy)
Brian Scassellati (Department of Computer Science, Yale University, U=
SA)
Stefan Schaal (Computer Science Department, USC, USA) Matthew
Schlesinger (Psychology Department, Southern Illinois University,
USA)
Sylvain Sirois (Department of Psychology, Manchester University, UK)
Georgi Stojanov (Computer Science Institute, SS Cyril and Methodius
University, Macedonia) Gert Westermann (Department of psychology, Oxf=
ord
Brookes University, UK) Tom Ziemke (Department of Computer Science,
University of Skovde, Sweden)
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Publication of Papers & Poster Abstracts
Papers and poster abstracts will be published in the proceedings, and
archived at=20
CogPrints (http://cogprints.ecs.soton.ac.uk).
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REFERENCES
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Zlatev, J. & Balkenius, C. (2001). Introduction: Why =93epigenetic
robotics=94?=20
Proceedings of the First International Workshop on Epigenetic Robotic=
s:=20
Modeling Cognitive Development in Robotic Systems (pp. 1-4). Lund
University

Cognitive Studies, Volume 85.
Available at:
http://www.lucs.lu.se/Epigenetic-robotics/Papers/Zlatev.Balkenius.200=
1.p
df
=20
Prince, C. G. (2002). Introduction: The Second International Workshop=
 on

Epigenetic Robotics. In C. G. Prince, Y. Demiris, Y. Marom, H. Kozima=
, &

C. Balkenius (Eds.) Proceedings of the Second International Workshop =
on=20
Epigenetic Robotics: Modeling Cognitive Development in Robotic System=
s.=20
Lund, Sweden: Lund University Cognitive Studies Volume 94. Available =
at:
http://www.cprince.com/PubRes/EpigeneticRobotics2002/Prince-Intro.pdf
=20
Weng, J., McClelland, J., Pentland, A., Sporns, O., Stockman, I., Sur=
,
M.,=20
& Thelen, E. (2001). Autonomous mental development by robots and
animals.=20
Science, 291, 599-600.=20
Available at: http://www.cse.msu.edu/dl/SciencePaper.pdf
=20
Berthouze, L. and Prince, C. G. (2003). Introduction: The Third
International=20
Workshop on Epigenetic Robotics. In C. G. Prince, L. Berthouze, H.
Kozima,=20
D. Bullock, G. Stojanov, & C. Balkenius (Eds.)=20
Proceedings of the Third International Workshop on Epigenetic Robotic=
s:
Modeling=20
Cognitive Development in Robotic Systems. Lund, Sweden: Lund Universi=
ty
Cognitive=20
Studies Volume 101.=20
Available at:
http://www.d.umn.edu/~cprince/epigenetic-robotics/2003/intro.pdf
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--=20
Prof. Giulio Sandini
LIRA-Lab, DIST - University of Genova
Viale Causa, 13 - 16145 Genova - Italy
Ph: +39 010 3532779 Fax: +39 010 3532948
http://www.liralab.it=20