Teaching science students to use their heads Aug 7, 2008
s Center for Spatial Intelligence and Learning, the s Graduate School of Education and Institute for Research in Cognitive Science, and the University of Pittsburgh s Learning Research and Development Center ... What we ll be doing is testing whether the 30 years of work in brain-based research and cognitive science can be applied in a real way to the practicalities of teaching middle-school kids science in ways that will show up on their state tests, said F. Joseph Merlino, the partnership s... (Philadelphia Business Journal, PA)
Project Aims To Improve Energy Efficiency Of Computing Aug 5, 2008
Jim Hollan, a professor of cognitive science at UCSD, will study how access to energy costs may influence the behavior of scientists in using shared computational resources especially when the energy use is visible to the wider community. Rather than give scientists physical access to the GreenLight Instrument, OptIPortal tiled display systems will serve as visual termination points allowing researchers to see inside the instrument. (Science Daily)
Mapping Out Future Of Intelligent Robots Jul 31, 2008
The event, jointly organized by the European Science Foundation (ESF) and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), and held in Japan, was targeted at young researchers actively working in the fields of cognitive science and robotics. The difficult problem of making robots capable of moving elegantly was discussed in two presentations, with Professor Florentin Worgotter from Gottingen University in Germany pointing out that Russian physiologist Nikolai Bernstein had anticipated the... (Science Daily)
Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Thinking about Morality Jul 30, 2008
Cognitive science and moral philosophy might seem like strange bedfellows, but in the past decade they have become partners. In a recent issue of , the Harvard University psychologist Joshua Greene and colleagues extend this trend. (Scientific American)
Magic Tricks Reveal Mysteries of Human Mind Jul 24, 2008
A new study, detailed in the current online issue of the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences, reveals how elements of human cognition, such as awareness and , could be explained by the success of some techniques commonly used by magicians ... "Cognitive science, particularly looking at attention and the interaction between attention and awareness, is a fairly new discipline, whereas magicians have been doing this for centuries.". (Fox News)
Is Language a Uniquely Human Activi... Jul 17, 2008
Particularly in the modern computer era, cognitive science has gained more prestige and nowadays humans are aligned with language-using computers instead of non-language using animals, according to Thomas Hardy Leahey. But the questions still abound: Would artificial intelligence one day be able to use language as humans do, could higher primate animals acquire language, as theorists like Duane Rumbaugh claim a definite possibility, or is language a uniquely human domain. (Suite101.com)
Wireless Device Helps Illuminate the Role of Light on Human Health Jul 16, 2008
"We envision the Daysimeter, along with other biological markers [such as hormones] will allow us to get a more detailed circadian profile of a particular person," says LRC director , a Rensselaer professor of cognitive science. Researchers can measure the effect of circadian light exposure on hormone levels through blood samples collected from subjects. (Scientific American)
Templeton of the Gods Jul 14, 2008
Most of the Foundation's grant-making supports scientific research at top universities, in such fields as theoretical physics, cosmology, evolutionary biology, cognitive science, and social science relating to love, forgiveness, creativity, purpose, and the nature and origin of religious belief. The Foundation also encourages and supports informed, open-minded dialogue between scientists and theologians as they work on the "Big Questions" in their distinctive fields of inquiry. (iAfrica.com)
The Way We Think Jul 6, 2008
Practically overnight, Lakoff, the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Distinguished Professor of Cognitive Science and Linguistics at UC Berkeley, became a star attraction at Democratic Party strategy meetings ... The theoretical insights and some empirical evidence from the emerging field of cognitive science and related disciplines, he believes, can be used to reverse the conservative dominance of the past three decades. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
Woman aquires new accent after stroke Jul 4, 2008
It was at that point that the medical team joined forces with researchers in McMaster's Cognitive Science of Language program to study the case. "It is a fascinating case because this woman has never visited the Maritimes, nor has she been exposed to anyone with an East Coast accent," says one of the study's authors, Alexandre Svigny, associate professor of cognitive science in the Department of Communication Studies media at McMaster University. (EurekAlert!)
What It's Like To Be A Bat Jun 27, 2008
Cynthia Moss, a member of the Neuroscience and Cognitive Science program at the University of Maryland, College Park, Md. is one of few researchers who spend time trying to get into the heads of bats. (Science Daily)
Can a Robot, an Insect or God Be Aware? Jun 25, 2008
Experimental philosophers continue the search to understand people s ordinary intuitions, but they do so using the of contemporary cognitive science (see also and ) experimental studies, statistical analyses, cognitive models, and so forth. Just in the past year or so, a number of researchers have been applying this new approach to the study of intuitions about consciousness. (Scientific American)
Giving back to the community through art and prose (32) Jun 23, 2008
A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside with a bachelor s degree in English (he also studied at Chicago s Columbia College and Malcom X College), the 25-year-old Kenosha native is currently in Colorado, working on his master s thesis which investigates the applicability of cognitive science to the minimal poems of Aram Saroyan. Local poet and filmmaker Nicholas Michael Ravnikar. (Racine Journal Times, WI)
Mysterious Brain Cells Linked to Blood Flow Jun 21, 2008
Study coauthor Mriganka Sur, a neuroscientist and head of MIT's Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, says his team saw astrocytes in action while examining brain activity in ferrets. Using technology called two-photon microscopy, Sur and his colleagues observed that astrocytes in the visual cortex (part of the brain responsible for vision) activated and blood flow increased to nerve cells just seconds after the neurons had fired or sent out signals. (Scientific American)
Great Apes Think Ahead For Future Needs Jun 19, 2008
Mathias and Helena Osvath s research, from Lunds University Cognitive Science in Sweden, is the first to provide conclusive evidence of advanced planning capacities in non-human species. See also. (Science Daily)
Children Learn Smart Behaviors Without Knowing What They Know Jun 18, 2008
The findings go against one prominent theory that says children can only show smart, flexible behavior if they have conceptual knowledge knowledge about how things work, said Vladimir Sloutsky, co-author of the study and professor of psychology and human development and the director of the Center for Cognitive Science at Ohio State. Children have more powerful learning skills than it was thought previously, he said. (Science Daily)
Humans aren't the only apes that plan ahead Jun 18, 2008
They are capable of exercising self-control to postpone gratification and to imagine future events via "mental time travel," according to new research from Lunds University Cognitive Science in Sweden. The skill of future planning was commonly thought to be exclusive to humans, although some studies of apes and crows have challenged this idea, say researchers Mathias and Helena Osvath. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Facing fraud rap, United Way official commits suicide Jun 14, 2008
As for Ms. Donio's phony academic credentials - a degree from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay and a doctorate in cognitive science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology - it appears that the Council of Ontario Universities did not check them. Neither did the United Way, relying instead on character references from the council and another former employer, Ms. Lankin said. (Globe and Mail)
Mind Over Matters Jun 13, 2008
In "The Political Mind," the eminent cognitive science scholar argues that voters form political opinions based on how effectively issues are framed. The brain assimilates new information by associating it with a concept or relationship that is already understood, even if the association is based on an incorrect assumption or inapt analogy. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
Brain perceives the present Jun 11, 2008
In the current issue of the journal Cognitive Science, researchers at the California Institute of Technology and the University of Sussex argue that the brain's adaptive ability to see into the near future creates many common illusions. "It takes time for the brain to process visual information, so it has to anticipate the future to perceive the present," said Mark Changizi, the lead author of the paper, who is now at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. (India Times, India -- Health/Science)
Film content, editing, and directing style affect brain activity, NYU neuroscientists show Jun 7, 2008
While they add that a cognitive science analysis of film is not new, functional imaging methods may be of use to both film theorists and the film industry by providing a quantitative, neuroscientific assessment of viewers' engagement with a film. . (EurekAlert!)
Back to the Future: Humans Can See Forward in Time Jun 3, 2008
His research on this topic is detailed in the May/June issue of the journal Cognitive Science. Explaining illusions. (Fox News)
Humans can 'see' future Jun 3, 2008
His research on this topic is detailed in the May/June issue of the journal Cognitive Science. That same seer ability can explain a range of optical illusions, Changizi found. (MSNBC -- Environment)
What Dictionaries and Optical Illusions Say About Our Brains May 31, 2008
In the past, the assistant professor of cognitive science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has demonstrated that the shapes of letters in 100 writing systems reflect common ones seen in nature: Take the letter "A" it looks like a mountain, he says. And "Y" might remind one of a tree with branches. (Scientific American)
Searching for Inspiration May 23, 2008
Varela, Thomson and Rosche in their book The Embodied Mind: Cognitive Science and Human Experience (Cambridge, MIT Press, 1991) observe a popular loss of faith in reason and an accompanying rise in belief in a developmentally and symbolically primitive subconscious. There are many examples of creative innovators, from Samuel Taylor Coleridge to Allen Ginsberg, who have experimented with the impact of mind-altering substances on their work. (Suite101.com)
Spirit and Experience May 23, 2008
F. Varela, E. Thompson and E. Rosch in their book The Embodied Mind: Cognitive Science and Human Experience (Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1991) seek to bring together cognitive science, the study of the mind, with a Buddhist method of examining experience, mindfulness meditation. According to the authors, this type of meditation is not a psychic going away, but rather, experiencing what one s mind is doing as it does it. (Suite101.com)
Austhink Enters U.S. Market With Business Decision Mapping Software May 22, 2008
Founded and led by renowned cognitive scientist, Tim van Gelder, PhD, Austhink's software applies insights from cognitive science to enhance thinking and decision making capacities. Its Rationale product is used by major universities, such as New York Law School, San Francisco State University and the University of Melbourne. (PR Newswire)
Can Visual System 'See' The Future? May 16, 2008
Assistant Professor of Cognitive Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Mark Changizi argues they require something more our ability to foresee the future ... His findings are described in May-June issue of the journal Cognitive Science. (Science Daily)
Andrew Anthony on the IQ test May 12, 2008
Then one November day in 1984 James Flynn, a New Zealand-based moral philosopher, had a Eureka moment that turned cognitive science on its head. He opened a package sent to him by an academic in Holland named PA Vroon. (Guardian Unlimited -- Arts)
Measure for Measure May 11, 2008
But this theory has perished in the sciences, killed off by advances in evolutionary biology, cognitive science, neuroscience, and other related fields. So most of the "big ideas" in contemporary literary studies have been flawed from their inception - they have been based, at least in part, on failed theories of human nature. (Boston Globe)
How the real world may hinder math May 2, 2008
"The motivation behind this research was to examine a very widespread belief about the teaching of mathematics, namely that teaching students multiple concrete examples will benefit learning," said Jennifer Kaminski, a research scientist at the Center for Cognitive Science at Ohio State. "It was really just that, a belief.". (International Herald Tribune -- Health)
Artificial Intelligence Boosts Science From Mars May 2, 2008
But since 2005, AI researchers at Italy's Institute for Cognitive Science and Technology (ISTC-CNR) led by Dr Amedeo Cesta and mission planners and computer scientists at ESOC have been developing a solution to the complex Mars Express scheduling problem by applying artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to the problem. These are similar to those used to solve scheduling and optimisation problems faced by airlines, shipping companies and large construction projects. (Science Daily)
Decoding The Dictionary: Lexicon Evolved To Fit In The Brain, Study Suggests May 2, 2008
"Dictionaries have often been thought of as a frustratingly tangled web of words where the definition of word A refers users to word B, which is defined using word C, which ends up referring users back to word A," said Mark Changizi, assistant professor of cognitive science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. "But this research suggests that all words are grounded in a small set of atomic words -- and it's likely that the dictionary's large-scale organization has been driven over time by the... (Science Daily)
HEALTH NOTES / Fitness starts with the brain May 2, 2008
It seems that Cognitive Science has taken hold as a new endeavor for the medical profession. As usual, it s difficult to separate the wheat from the advertising chaff. (Cohasset Mariner, MA)
Delving into how children learn words May 2, 2008
McGregor said Xu, an associate professor and Canada research chairwoman in developmental cognitive science, plans to discuss how a child matches numerous words to the same object. "Think of a dog," McGregor said. (Daily Iowan, IA)
Are Humans Hardwired For Fairness? Apr 19, 2008
Recent advances in both cognitive science and neuroscience now allow psychologists to approach this question in some different ways, and they are getting some intriguing results. See also. (Science Daily)
Obituary: Joseph M. Williams Apr 18, 2008
Williams and Colomb pored through cognitive science research, decision theory, risk theory, attribution theory all to gain insight into the reader. Joe believed that if you understood how readers would predictably respond to particular features of a text, you could then help writers achieve their goals. (Univeristy of Chicago Chronicle, IL)
National Attention Focused on Science and Technology Makes Franklin Institute's Annual Celebration of Science Relevant and Timely Apr 18, 2008
Judea Pearl, receives the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Computer and Cognitive Science for advancing the world of artificial intelligence by allowing computers to uncover associations and connections within millions of data points. Wallace Broecker, receives the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Earth and Environmental Science for developing models of how the ocean circulates, how ocean affects climate change and how climate has changed throughout history. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Advising system suffers from lack of structure Apr 13, 2008
He sees room for open D.U.S. sessions and informational meetings in each major (Mabry cited Cognitive Science as an example). The critical time period is late freshman year and all throughout sophomore year, says Mabry, when students are really trying to figure out what they are getting themselves into as they select a major. (Yale Herald, CT)
Editor - Trends in Cognative Science Apr 5, 2008
We are seeking to appoint a new Editor for Trends in Cognitive Sciences, based in our Camden office. Trends in Cognitive Sciences is one of the leading international review journals dealing with cognitive science research. (Nature News Service)
Full Story » Apr 1, 2008
This week is such a relief, said CU senior Brian Mingus, 25, a cognitive science major. I don't have to worry about classes I can just focus on my thesis. (Boulder Colorado Daily, CO)
The Amygdaloids: Scientists who rock out Mar 29, 2008
In "All in a Nut," an easygoing song with funky guitar effects, LeDoux asks, "Why do we feel so afraid?" Having written several books about cognitive science for the general public, LeDoux, who speaks modestly about his musical abilities, says that he's enjoying experimenting with music as a new venue for his ideas. "Music is so direct and immediate," he says, noting that, in some ways, it's easier to communicate scientific concepts through music than through books. (The Scientist)
How tastes turn into feelings Mar 24, 2008
Local Search Site Search. THIS STORY HAS BEEN FORMATTED FOR EASY PRINTING. (Boston Globe)
Visual technology enables brain to learn in new ways Mar 22, 2008
Visualization is built on the age-old premise -- borne out by modern cognitive science -- that pictures say as much as, or even more than, words. The human brain has a powerful, often underutilized capacity to process visuals, noted Robert Jacob, computer science professor and co-principal investigator on the project. (EurekAlert!)
Physicist-priest wins $1.7 million prize Mar 15, 2008
9 million, for the development of the study of the cognitive science of Religiona scientific approach to why humans believe in God and other issues around the nature and origin of religious beliefwas awarded by the John Templeton Foundation to the Oxford Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion and the Centre for Anthropology and Mind, as reported here: and it says, It will be used to draw together and promote the latest scientific ideas about the meaning of religion and its origin in... (Nature News Service)
AI researchers think 'Rascals' can pass Turing test Mar 15, 2008
"We are building a knowledge base that corresponds to all of the relevant background for our synthetic character--where he went to school, what his family is like, and so on," said Selmer Bringsjord, head of Rensselaer's Cognitive Science Department and leader of the research project. "We want to engineer, from the start, a full-blown intelligent character and converse with him in an interactive environment like the holodeck from Star Trek.". (EETimes)
Ballston Spa grad remembered Mar 4, 2008
So, it came as no surprise to his coach, Dave Sunkes, when Wells told him he planned to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where the 22-year-old student athlete was a senior studying brain and cognitive science. "He was one of the smartest kids I've ever coached," Sunkes said of Wells, who was died early Saturday after a five-story fall from his Delta Upsilon fraternity house in Boston. (Albany Times Union)
Virginia's Sarah Kirkwood Named ACC Scholar-Athlete for Volleyball Mar 1, 2008
As a cognitive science major and pre-med student, she was chosen as a resident of UVA's Lawn, one of the university's most prestigious academic recognitions. On the court, the Tampa, Fla. (Theacc.com)
The missing Link Feb 26, 2008
Such majors include Political and Social Thought, Studies in Women and Gender, Political Philosophy, Policy and Law, Cognitive Science, Neuroscience and South East Asian, Latin American, African American and African Studies. Echols Scholars, too, have the opportunity to create their own major. (The Cavalier Daily, VA)
Good Ideas Distract Groups From Generating Great Ideas Feb 22, 2008
" Michael E. Roberts, a doctoral student in the Cognitive Science Program, and Todd M. Gureckis, assistant professor of psychology at New York University, are co-authors of the article "Emergent Processes in Group Behavior. " This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation. Adapted from materials provided by . Need to cite this story in your essay, paper, or report? Use one of the following formats: APA MLA Related Stories (Jul. 30, 2001) Cell... (Science Daily)
How Believing Can Be Seeing: Context Dictates What We Believe We See Feb 20, 2008
19, 2008) Scientists at UCL (University College London) have found the link between what we expect to see, and what our brain tells us we actually saw. The study reveals that the context surrounding what we see is all important -- sometimes overriding the evidence gathered by our eyes and even causing us to imagine things which aren't really there. (Science Daily)
The downside of a good idea Feb 20, 2008
Robert Goldstone directs the Cognitive Science Program at Indiana University and also the Percepts and Concepts Laboratory ... Goldstone's findings were published this month in the January/February issue of the journal "Current Directions in Psychological Science." Michael E. Roberts, a doctoral student in the Cognitive Science Program, and Todd M. Gureckis, assistant professor of psychology at New York University, are co-authors of the article "Emergent Processes in Group Behavior.". (EurekAlert!)
Interdisciplinary majors generate options, doubts Feb 17, 2008
Elah Lanis, MC 10, chose the EP&E major for just that reason, saying, I want to be a political scientist who uses the fields of economics, philosophy, and cognitive science to deal with the real world. The puzzle of effective policy involves pieces from all of these fields. (Yale Herald, CT)
How believing can be seeing: Study shows how context dictates what we believe we see Feb 16, 2008
The research was funded by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation and a Cognitive Science Foresight Grant. Contact details and arranging interviews. (EurekAlert!)
2007 All-ACC Academic Volleyball Team Announced Feb 9, 2008
theACC.com - The Official Athletic Site of the Atlantic Coast Conference. GREENSBORO, N.C. - Seven All-Conference or AVCA All-Region athletes have been named to the 2007 All-ACC Academic Volleyball team, which was announced today by Commissioner John D. Swofford. (Theacc.com)
Military discusses new strategy Feb 7, 2008
"I believe in the capabilities of our armed forces to protect our interests," said Tim Borden, a student of Cognitive Science at the university. "Having an open forum like this where the American people can be engaged in discussions that will help this strategy work is very good." For more information and to read the Maritime Strategy, visit www. (The Dolphin, CT)
New Thoughts On Language Acquisition: Toddlers As Data Miners Feb 5, 2008
IU cognitive science experts Linda Smith and Chen Yu are investigating whether the human brain accumulates large amounts of data minute by minute, day by day, and handles this data processing automatically. They are studying whether this phenomenon contributes to a "system" approach to language learning that helps explain the ease by which 2- and 3-year-olds can learn one word at a time. (Science Daily)
Ask The Intern Feb 1, 2008
Serena Rasoul, a fourth-year foreign affairs and cognitive science double-major, also sought an internship outside corporate America. Rasoul was accepted into an international program in Al-Mustakbal for Strategic and Policy Studies, a firm in Palestinian territory that evaluates the extent to which the private sector has access to the legislature. (The Cavalier Daily, VA)
First Korean astronaut to take soil into space Jan 16, 2008
After studying mathematics and cognitive science at Seoul National University, Ko was working at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute on computer vision systems when he saw an advertisement for the astronaut's job. "I just couldn't help applying," said Ko. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Report: Cold Drugs Used to Get High Jan 11, 2008
Some new research aims to combine computer science with cognitive science to help kids read better. And researchers have cracked the code to teaching vocabulary with word clues. (WebMD)
Drawing on Diversity Jan 11, 2008
Ryo Saito traveled to the United States to absorb diversity; the 23-year-old is in his third year studying cognitive science at the University of California at Merced. "Japan is a uni-race. I wanted to learn about diversity; I wanted to learn something new," he said. (Modesto Bee, CA)
* Taiwan News Quick Take Jan 5, 2008
The instrument, invented by Shaw Fu-zen (I), an associate professor at the university's Institute of Cognitive Science, is said to be capable of providing greater effect than tactile or vibration stimulation therapy in rehabilitating the functions of stroke patents' upper limbs. Shaw said that the thermal stimulation device deploys high and low temperatures alternately to stimulate a patient's hands, revitalizing the areas of the brain that control hand and arm movement. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Green Tea May Protect Brain Cells Against Parkinson's Disease Dec 15, 2007
Guo, Yan, and Zhao are affiliated with State Key Laboratory of Brain & Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Academia Sinica in Beijing, China. Dr. Yan is also with the Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, China. (Science Daily)
Why bother with Latin?; Predicting the mess in Iraq; Gaza as top priority Dec 6, 2007
Research in cognitive science has shown that it is not true that studying Latin "trains the mind," as claimed by Harry Mount, without any evidence ("A vote for Latin," Views, Dec. 4). Research has in fact demonstrated that expertise acquired in one area is often limited to that area and is not useful when one tries to apply it to another area, unless they are very similar. (International Herald Tribune -- Ed/Op)
Local coed will appear on NBC-TV next month as part of Michael Bolton's choir Nov 30, 2007
Erin was a standout student at CWCHS and was accepted into Yale University, where she is a senior studying cognitive science. She is active is several college activities, including theater clubs and singing groups. (Carmi Times, IL)
