[Ltg] HAIL Seminar (10th May): Professor Max Coltheart, Macquarie University

[Andrew Lampert]

                      H.A.I.L. Seminar series
                          CSIRO ICT Centre
                   http://www.ict.csiro.au/HAIL/


Title:          Computational modelling of human cognition:
                    modelling reading as an example

Speaker:        Professor Max Coltheart
                ARC Federation Fellow, Professor of Psychology and
                Scientific Director, Macquarie Centre for Cognitive Science
                Macquarie University

Date:           Tuesday 10th May 2005 at 11am

Location:       CSIRO ICT Centre,
                Building E6B, Macquarie University.

                See <http://www.ict.csiro.au/HAIL/location.htm> for details.


Video:          If you can't make it to the seminar, you can request
                to have it video-recorded (if the speaker agrees).
                Prior to the seminar, send us an email with your name,
                postal address and the author/title of the seminar you
                want to be recorded.

                Video recordings are available in Windows Media format
                on CD-ROM or VHS (please send a blank VHS tape).

                Please note that we currently have a very large backlog of
                videos to digitise, copy and distribute, so please be patient
                if you request a video copy of this seminar.

Abstract

Many computational scientists are interested in trying to write computer programs that can do difficult cognitive tasks that people can do - face recognition, voice recognition, problem solving etc. One can do such work without being at all interested in whether there is any relationship between how the program successfully accomplishes the task and how people do it.  Computational modellers of cognition, however, seek to write programs that not only succeed in performing some cognitive task but do so in exactly the same way that, according to some cognitive theory, people perform the task. This permits powerful testing of any such theory about human cognition. Every variable known to affect speed or accuracy of human performance in the relevant cognitive domain must affect speed or accuracy of the program's performance too. Any failure of the program to reproduce some effect seen in humans counts as evidence against the theory of cognition which the program implements.

The domain of cognition in which computational modelling of cognition is most advanced is reading. So I will describe the development of a particular computational model of reading aloud and the use of this program for testing the theory of how humans read on which the program is based.


Short resume

Max Coltheart is a cognitive scientist with interests mainly in: (i) cognitive neuropsychology (particularly acquired and developmental disorders of language and of semantic memory); (ii) cognitive neuropsychiatry (particularly in relation to delusional belief); and (iii) cognitive science (particularly computational modelling of cognitive processes).

Formerly Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, London, he is currently a Federation Fellow, Professor of Psychology at Macquarie University, and Scientific Director of the Macquarie Centre for Cognitive Science. He also holds an Adjunct Professorship in the Philosophy Program at the Research School of Social Sciences at ANU.

Professor Coltheart is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and a Fellow of the British Academy and was Founding Editor and Editor-in-Chief of Cognitive Neuropsychology (1984-1997); Editor, of British Journal of Psychology 1979-1983; Associate Editor, of the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (1972-1985) and Behavioral and Brain Sciences (1981- ).  To date, he has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers and 12 books (8 edited).


----------------------------------------
The HAIL Seminars' URL:
http://www.ict.csiro.au/HAIL/

Contacts:       Andrew Lampert
Address:        CSIRO HAIL Seminars,
                c/o Andrew Lampert,
                Locked Bag 17,
                North Ryde NSW 1670

Phone:  (02) 9325 3100
Email:  Andrew.Lampert at csiro.au


*Administration*
-----------------------------------------------------------------
* To leave the list, send the message "unsubscribe HailSeminars" to
the list server address <majordomo at nsw.cmis.csiro.au>.
The subject line of your e-mail message will be ignored.
==================================================================