From ritter at psychology.nottingham.ac.uk Mon Aug 2 08:47:19 1999 From: ritter at psychology.nottingham.ac.uk (ritter at psychology.nottingham.ac.uk) Date: Mon, 2 Aug 1999 13:47:19 +0100 (BST) Subject: CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS: ICCM-2000 Message-ID: ================================================================== CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS: ICCM-2000 Third International Conference on Cognitive Modelling Groningen, Netherlands, 23-25 March 2000, with optional tutorials on 22 March ------------------------------------------------------------------ Contributions are invited for the Third International Conference on Cognitive Modelling, to be held at the University of Groningen from 23 to 25 March 2000. This series of meetings was founded to encourage international, inter-disciplinary co-operation in the field of cognitive modelling. The first meeting, held in Berlin in November 1996, attracted about 60 researchers from Europe and USA working in artificial intelligence, cognitive psychology, computer linguistics and philosophy of mind. The second meeting, held in Notthingham in April 1998, was equally successful with an attendance of around 70 researchers. Submissions are welcome on any aspect of the computer modelling of human cognition, but preference will be given to work which describes both a running computer model and its comparison to empirical data. Further information about this Call, about the format for submissions, and about the Conference itself can be found at the conference Web site: http://tcw2.ppsw.rug.nl/iccm/ Contributions can take the form of papers, posters, proposals for symposia, or tutorials. PAPERS Papers can be submitted electronically to J.Aasman at research.kpn.com in one of the following formats: - Plain text - pdf - html - Word 7 Put ICCM in the subject line of you email. Submissions will be confirmed within 3 work days. Your submission should arrive before 5 pm on 15 December 1999. Since the final paper consist of no more than 8 pages, restrict your submission to around 4000 words or less if you include figures. For the final submission hardcopy is required: email and fax submissions are not acceptable. Papers should include a cover page giving the name and contact information of the first author, and stating any requirements for audio-visual equipment. The paper itself should consist of not more than 8 sides of A4 or US (8.5" x 11") paper, set in 10 point type in two columns. For detailed formatting instructions, sample pages, and templates for word processing, please consult the Web page as given above. POSTERS Work can be submitted as a poster which for any reason is better presented as a poster than as a written paper and talk. To submit a poster, please send an abstract of up to two pages (1000 words) using the same guidelines as under papers. Authors of accepted posters will be invited to address the audience for three minutes as part of a "poster mania" session, in order to whet the audience's appetite and encourage them to visit the poster. SYMPOSIA By a symposium, we mean a session of related work on a particular topic. The session can take any of several different forms: some short presentations followed by a discussion, a panel discussion, a debate, and so on. The length of a symposium session is flexible, but by default would be 90 minutes. If you would like to organise a symposium, send us a proposal outlining your ideas and the names of the contributors, by no later than 1st December. If the proposal is accepted, we will work with you to try to ensure the success of the symposium, but you will be responsible for arranging and running it. SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS Cognitive modellers tend to work in many areas of cognitive science. In order to promote cooperation in these areas, we're planning a number of Special Interest Groups on a number of themes. The idea is to have modellers in specific areas discuss the main problems they have encountered and possible solutions to these problems. Possible areas are: - Complex skill acquisition - Language - Cognitive Development - Implicit learning - Human Computer Interaction - Eye and hand coordination and external tasks - and so on If you have any ideas for themes, please contact the organisers. We'll include the final list in the call for participation, and will schedule those SIG's for which there is sufficient interest. TUTORIALS There will be one-day tutorials offered on various cognitive modeling techniques. If you would like to organize a tutorial, please contact one of the organizers as soon as possible. PROCEEDINGS Papers will be published in proceedings that will be handed out at start of the conference. Important dates: --------------- Paper or poster: to ARRIVE by 5 pm on 15 December 1999 Decision: by 27 January 2000 Revised version: by 24 February 2000 Send submissions to: ------------------- Jans Aasman: J.Aasman at research.kpn.com For enquiries, contact: Niels Taatgen: niels at tcw3.ppsw.rug.nl Jans Aasman: J.Aasman at research.kpn.com ================================================================ Frank.Ritter at nottingham.ac.uk + 44 (115) 951-5292 (office, will bounce to an answerphone) + 44 (115) 951-5324 (fax) Psychology U. of Nottingham http://www.psychology.nottingham.ac.uk/staff/ritter/ Nottingham NG7 2RD England After 1 October 1999: ritter at ist.psu.edu + 1 (814) 865-4453 (office) 865-5604 (fax) School of Information Sciences and Technology http://www.ist.psu.edu 512 Rider Building, 120 S. Burrowes St. Penn State University Park, PA 16801-3857 From altmann at osf1.gmu.edu Tue Aug 3 17:12:06 1999 From: altmann at osf1.gmu.edu (ERIK M. ALTMANN) Date: Tue, 3 Aug 1999 17:12:06 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Recent ACT-R journal submissions Message-ID: Available at http://hfac.gmu.edu/people/altmann/pubs.html; comments welcome. Erik. ----------------------- Erik M. Altmann Psychology 2E5 George Mason University Fairfax, VA 22030 703-993-1326 altmann at gmu.edu hfac.gmu.edu/~altmann ----------------------- Altmann, E. M. & Gray, W. D. (1999). Preparing to forget: Memory and functional decay in serial attention. Manuscript submitted for publication. Abstract - Research on serial attention has investigated the switching of attention from one task to another but has largely overlooked the maintenance of attention on one task between switches. A decay hypothesis is advanced that describes attention maintenance and relates it functionally to attention switching. Attention maintenance involves retrieving the current task from memory regularly between task switches. However, despite the strengthening that accompanies retrieval, the current task must decay to prevent interference with the next task. The current task will decay if its initial activation is high enough that subsequent retrievals cannot sustain that level of activation. The preparatory encoding responsible for this high initial activation is the proposed explanation for switch cost. Four studies uphold the decay hypothesis, showing a pervasive slowing trend of 3 to 5 msec per trial (between switches) as the current task decays. Altmann, E. M. & Trafton, J. G. (1999). Memory for goals in means-ends behavior. Manuscript submitted for publication. Abstract - Means-ends behavior arises when goals (the ends) need to be suspended to achieve subgoals (the means) and then resumed again. One traditional explanation of such behavior is that cognition stores goals on a stack (the task-goal stack, or TGS). However, the TGS lacks face validity, and the authors propose the memory-as-goal-store (or MAGS) approach instead. A MAGS model explains means-ends performance better than a published TGS model implemented in the same cognitive architecture (ACT-R). Experimental data are presented that contradict even weak predictions of the TGS and support the MAGS view. For example, pending goals intrude more often than chance as a function of active maintenance. The computational processes of the MAGS model are specific enough to make fine-grained predictions and general enough to explain memory for goals in diverse contexts. From maclaren+ at andrew.cmu.edu Wed Aug 11 15:10:00 1999 From: maclaren+ at andrew.cmu.edu (Benjamin A Maclaren) Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 15:10:00 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Schema-based models? Message-ID: Are there papers on schema-based models in ACT-R 4.0, preferably with a model I could check out? I am assuming that these involve a "schema activation" phase and then a goal driven phase to try to instantiate a retrieved schema. I remember Wayne Gray is doing some stuff with schema instantiation. Wayne, is this model (or parts of it?) availble for dissecting? I am interested in using this for understanding algebra word problems. I am also interested in what other ACT-R 4.0 parsers there are out there, preferably with a real semantic component, but just syntax is fine too. Thanks, Ben From Stellan at tigger.cc.uic.edu Wed Aug 11 16:22:36 1999 From: Stellan at tigger.cc.uic.edu (Dr. Stellan Ohlsson) Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 14:22:36 -0600 Subject: Schema-based models in ACT-R: Also interested Message-ID: I'd like to second Benjamin Maclaren's call for information about schema-based ACT-R models. I remember seeing a reference to a paper titled, approximately, "Implementing a schema model in ACT-R", but I cannot now find it, because I cannot recall the author. Does somebody else recall this paper? -Stellan Ohsson From cl at andrew.cmu.edu Mon Aug 16 16:16:12 1999 From: cl at andrew.cmu.edu (Christian Lebiere) Date: Mon, 16 Aug 1999 16:16:12 -0400 Subject: Schema-based models in ACT-R: Also interested Message-ID: > I'd like to second Benjamin Maclaren's call for information about > schema-based ACT-R models. I remember seeing a reference to a paper > titled, approximately, "Implementing a schema model in ACT-R", but I > cannot now find it, because I cannot recall the author. Does somebody > else recall this paper? Since no one seems to have replied to the list, I will point out that the authors of the work on schema-based models in ACT-R are most likely Eric Scott and Sandra Marshall and the paper(s) can be found in the ACT-R workshop proceedings (http://act.psy.cmu.edu). Christian From cl at andrew.cmu.edu Mon Aug 16 16:16:12 1999 From: cl at andrew.cmu.edu (Christian Lebiere) Date: Mon, 16 Aug 1999 16:16:12 -0400 Subject: Schema-based models in ACT-R: Also interested Message-ID: > I'd like to second Benjamin Maclaren's call for information about > schema-based ACT-R models. I remember seeing a reference to a paper > titled, approximately, "Implementing a schema model in ACT-R", but I > cannot now find it, because I cannot recall the author. Does somebody > else recall this paper? Since no one seems to have replied to the list, I will point out that the authors of the work on schema-based models in ACT-R are most likely Eric Scott and Sandra Marshall and the paper(s) can be found in the ACT-R workshop proceedings (http://act.psy.cmu.edu). Christian From gray at gmu.edu Sat Aug 21 13:40:08 1999 From: gray at gmu.edu (Wayne Gray) Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1999 13:40:08 -0400 Subject: Schema-based models Message-ID: Folks, Ben implicated me as having talked about schema-based models. This is a three-part reply: 1. With Susan Kirschenbaum, I have been studying how submarine commanders localize an enemy hiding in deep water. We have a theory of this task that we refer to as: schema-directed problem solving with shallow and adaptive subgoaling (SDPSSAS). A very brief description of that theory is contained in: Gray, W. D., & Kirschenbaum, S. S. (in press). Analyzing a novel expertise: An unmarked road. In J. M. C. Schraagen, S. F. Chipman, & V. L. Shalin (Eds.), Cognitive task analysis . Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. This paper may be downloaded via: http://hfac.gmu.edu/~graypubs ******* 2. The initial empirical investigation has been extended using a home built simulation of the AO's (approach officer) task called Ned. We now have data from 10% of the active submarine officers interacting with Ned. The "scaled worlds" methodology used in this work is described in a paper just accepted for publication by the Human Factors journal. As I have not seen the editor's final comments, I am sitting on that paper until I can be sure that the copy that will appear in print will be substantially similar to the paper I distribute. At the current time we have a "baselevel" model of this task. The model suffices to enable us to follow along in the protocols. Ned has about 8 displays, each of which is complex. The baseline model suffices to enable us to follow the AO encoded operator by encoded operator as he performs his task using Ned. (The model interacts directly with Ned but is not an RPM model.) ****** 3. We have machine encoded 18 empirical protocols at the operator level. (These are the encoded operators referred to above.) We are currently finishing our interrater reliability procedure for our encodings of goals and subgoals. Early indications are that the control structure that emerges from the analysis of the new data support conclusions based on the original data (i.e., SDPSSAS). ***** 4. Stay tuned for more. Our take on schemas is very different from the Scott and Marshall take. If we are successful in modeling this task we will be presenting it either in Groningen in March or Pittsburgh in July. Cheers, Wayne _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ Wayne D. Gray HUMAN FACTORS & APPLIED COGNITIVE PROGRAM SNAIL-MAIL ADDRESS (FedX et al) VOICE: +1 (703) 993-1357 George Mason University FAX: +1 (703) 993-1330 ARCH Lab/HFAC Program ********************* MSN 3f5 * Work is infinite, * Fairfax, VA 22030-4444 * time is finite, * http://hfac.gmu.edu * plan accordingly. * _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ From db30+ at andrew.cmu.edu Tue Aug 24 14:12:53 1999 From: db30+ at andrew.cmu.edu (Daniel J Bothell) Date: Tue, 24 Aug 1999 14:12:53 -0400 (EDT) Subject: New ACT-R Environment for Windows Message-ID: Two new versions of the ACT-R environment for Windows 9x/NT are available from the ACT-R Environment link on our web site: http://act.psy.cmu.edu/ or directly at: http://act.psy.cmu.edu/ACT/ftp/education/index.html. One is an updated version which requires that you have ACL 5.0 currently installed. It now contains the tutorial models for the first 2 units of the online tutorial. The other is a standalone version of the environment that works WITHOUT having to have ACL installed. This version uses the runtime library of ACL, and thus does not offer all of the features of ACL (there is no compiler, no debugger, and none of the ACL IDE tools). It has all of the inspector windows of the full environment, but does not include the tutorial models for the first unit of the online tutorial. If you have any questions or problems with either version, please send them to me (db30 at andrew.cmu.edu). Thank you, Dan