WORKSHOP

GENERAL INFORMATION

The team of the ThinkAct project hosts an international workshop on Grounded Cognition that will take place on 7 and 8 November 2014 at Schloss Mickeln, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf.

Motor Control & Cognition – A Matter of Constitution?

The relation between motor control and action cognition, such as action-related thoughts and action-related perception, is subject to controversial discussion in cognitive science. A rapidly growing number of studies has provided empirical evidence supporting the hypothesis of such a relation in general terms. However, a closer inspection of the evidence available so far provides a rather blurry picture on how to understand the relevant claim in the first place. As a result, we are confronted with an enormous variety of partly overlapping, partly contradictory, and also incommensurable accounts trying to understand and explain the relation between the two systems, their interdependencies, and the mediating mechanisms. Lacking a clear answer thus far, the following questions are particularly pressing: Are both systems largely identical? Or are they different and only slightly connected, merely taking close advantage of each other?

In order to advance answers to these and related questions, we aim to discuss an understanding of this relation in terms of constitution of action cognition by motor control. Constitution as a conceptual instrument of describing the relation of interest can further be interpreted in a strong or a more moderate way by distinguishing degrees of impact that motor control might have on cognition. By assembling the most influential researchers in this research area, the aim of the workshop is to clarify the interdependency of motor control and cognition.

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS

Adrian Alsmith

Embodying Body Representation

Jonathan Cole

On unawareness of action and awareness of inaction; how the impaired body constrains the mind

Arthur Glenberg

Sensorimotor Processes (Including Prediction) Fully Constitute Language Comprehension

The simulation of language content (i.e., comprehension) almost certainly involves more than motor processes. I will outline an account of simulation, the Glenberg & Gallese (2012) ABL theory, that is centered in the motor system, but extends into sensory systems. The theory proposes that sensorimotor processes, including prediction, fully constitute language comprehension. Then, I will describe two projects, one using EEG and one using behavioral measures, that test this claim. Both projects demonstrate bi-directional causal effects: Manipulating language affects the motor system and manipulating the motor system affects language comprehension. These bi-directional causal effects are consistent with a constituative relation between language and sensorimotor processes.
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Patrick Haggard

Perception of intention and perception of action

Bernhard Hommel

Perceiving, feeling, and acting: Three sides of the same coin

Günther Knoblich

Grounding cognition in joint action?

I will ask the question how the requirements of joint action shape individual planning and/or learning and/or communication and/or experience. Homepage

Wilfried Kunde

Effect-based action control

Axel Lindner

Attributing self-agency to the sensory consequences of one's own actions: mechanisms, substrates & disorders

Alexander Maye

Models of action-based perception - achievements and challenges

Action-based approaches gain more and more importance in explaining human perception and cognition. They inspire new paradigms for studying human behavior and provide new interpretations of the underlying neural activity. The main concepts also find fertile ground in the field of artificial agents, where they open prospects for the development of control architectures which enable robots to cope with the real world. Using the example of sensorimotor contingency theory, the talk gives an overview of recent achievements in these fields. They show that application of the theory holds promise, but also that the concept of action needs development.
Homepage
Homepage

Wolfgang Prinz

Ways of Action Science. Why extending the scope of cognition is not enough

Cosimo Urgesi

Does motor resonance require perceptual awareness?

I will present a series of behavioral and brain stimulation studies investigating how motor and visual representations are used in perceiving others' actions in conditions of low and high visibility. Homepage

LOCATION

Schloss Mickeln, a university-run castle in the very South of Düsseldorf, near to the river Rhine. It is a quite and very peaceful place, a bit off the campus. The Schloss offers an ideal infrastructure for small conferences. Here are some picture from outside and inside the building.

VENUE AND ACCOMMODATION

Schloss Mickeln can be easily reached by public transport. The station next to Schloss Mickeln is called 'Alt-Himmelgeist'. This station is served by bus line 835. Coming from Düsseldorf main station, you have basically two options to get there: clockwise or anti-clockwise. At the main station, take either 'S-Bahn 8' to 'Mönchengladbach Hbf' (on platform 12), get off at 'Bilk S-Bahnhof', and take bus line 835 to 'In der Steele', or take underground line 74 to 'Benrath Betriebshof', get off at 'Holthausen', and take the bus in the opposite direction ('Comeniusplatz'). In both cases, don't forget to get off the bus at 'Alt-Himmelgeist'. From there, you can't miss Schloss Mickeln.

Here are some suggestions for hotels in the nearer vicinity. The first two are approximately ten minutes by bus from the workshop venue. The others are a bit closer to the university and the city centre, but also within reasonable distance to Schloss Mickeln (about 15 minutes by bus).

www.elbroich.de/ihr-weg-zu-uns/
www.centro-hotels.de/centro-hotel-schumann-duesseldorf/
www.hotel-flora-duesseldorf.de/anfahrt
www.auszeit-hotel.de/hotel/lage-und-anreise.html
www.hotel-haus-mooren.de/kontakt.htm

Please contact the organisers if you need any help.

PROGRAM

Time Speaker Title
Friday, 7th Nov
9.30 Matthis Synofzik / Simone Schütz-Bosbach / Gottfried Vosgerau Welcome and Introduction
10 Patrick Haggard Perception of intention and perception of action
11 Coffee
11.30 Wolfgang Prinz Ways of Action Science. Why extending the scope of cognition is not enough
12.30 Lunch
14 Wilfried Kunde Effect-based action control
15 Alexander Maye Models of action-based perception - achievements and challenges
16 Coffee
16.30 Arthur Glenberg Sensorimotor Processes (Including Prediction) Fully Constitute Language Comprehension
17.30 Antje Gentsch Towards a common framework of grounded action cognition
20 Dinner
Saturday, 8th Nov
9 Jonathan Cole Impaired Embodiment and Experience; grounded observations on grounded cognition
10 Coffee
10.30 Axel Lindner Attributing self-agency to the sensory consequences of one's own actions: mechanisms, substrates & disorders
11.30 Adrian Alsmith Embodying Body Representation
12.30 Lunch
14 Bernhard Hommel Perceiving, feeling, and acting: Three sides of the same coin
15 Cosimo Urgesi Does motor resonance require perceptual awareness?
16 Coffee
16.30 Günther Knoblich Grounding cognition in joint action?

REGISTRATION

Registration is free, but places are limited. Please register by sending an e-mail to Alexander auf der Straße (aufderstrasse@hhu.de) until 24 October. Accommodation must be arranged individually. We offer organisational help, when needed.
There is no registration fee. Please indicate in your registration whether you would like to participate in the dinner on Friday evening and/or lunch on Friday and Saturday. We are not able to cover costs of the dinner for non-speakers.