Connectionists: European Society for Cognitive Psychology (ESCoP) “Computational and Mathematical Modelling of Cognition” 9-19 July 2010

[Elizabeth Thomas]

European Society for Cognitive Psychology (ESCoP)
European Summer School on

*/“Computational and Mathematical Modelling of Cognition”

9-19 July 2010
Mallnitz (Kärnten), Austria
Preliminary Announcement
/*(January 2010)

/Principal organizers and instructors:
/Stephan Lewandowsky (University of Western Australia)
Klaus Oberauer (University of Zurich, Switzerland)
Simon Farrell (University of Bristol, U.K.)

/Contributing organizers and instructors:
/Gordon Brown (University of Warwick, U.K.)
Bob French (CNRS, University of Burgundy, France)
Jörg Rieskamp (University of Basel, Switzerland)
Lael Schooler (Max-Planck Institute Berlin, Germany)
Joachim Vandekerckhove (Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium)
E. J. Wagenmakers (University of Amsterdam, Netherlands)

*/Overview
/*
Most areas of cognitive psychology have recognized the power of 
computational and mathematical models and have embraced their benefits 
to rigorous theorizing. One illustration of this trend is the growing 
popularity of Bayesian approaches to cognitive modelling.

This powerful trend comes, however, at a cost: The complexity of models 
and modelling techniques render it increasingly difficult for 
non-experts to acquire the necessary skills and then keep pace with 
developments. 

This summer school is dedicated to */introducing/* */researchers to the 
basic techniques of computational and mathematical modelling from the 
ground up and in a hands-on manner/*.

The instructors represent a broad range of expertise and are all 
research leaders in their field with extensive experience in teaching of 
modelling.

The academic program is as follows: We will first underscore the need 
for computational modelling by examining some pertinent recent examples 
from cognitive psychology. We then introduce participants to the basics 
of parameter estimation, before turning to presentation of 
maximum-likelihood techniques, model comparison and selection, and 
interpretation of models. Additional sessions will be dedicated to 
connectionism (neural networks), cognitive architectures (e.g., ACT-R) 
and to Bayesian approaches to modelling and model selection.

 All material will be presented with hands-on examples (using MATLAB).  
Our approach will be largely problem-based.

 */Venue
/*
The School will be held at the Hotel Alpengarten 
(http://www.alpengarten.at/en) in Mallnitz, a small town in Austria’s 
“Hohe Tauern” National Park, a short train ride from the Mozart town of 
Salzburg.

*/Cost
/*
The complete cost for attendance at the Summer School is €*/395 for 
students /*(currently-enrolled in a post-secondary course of study 
anywhere in the world) and €*/695 for all others/*.
This package includes (a) twin share accommodation at the conference 
hotel from July 9 through 19, 2010 (10 nights, additional cost for 
single */€100/*); (b) breakfast and morning and afternoon teas and 
snacks (but not lunch and dinner, lunch for the 10 days can be purchased 
for an additional */€150/*); and (c) all course materials, including a 
copy of a textbook (Lewandowsky and Farrell,/ Elements of Computational 
and Mathematical Modeling in Cognition/; Sage Publications, forthcoming.)

Applicants from new EU countries (i.e., Malta, Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, 
Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, 
Bulgaria, Romania, Akrotiri, and Dhekelia) will also be considered for a 
reduction in attendance cost of */€100 /*(from €395 down to €295).

*/Attendees are additionally responsible for their own travel expenses.
Attendees are also expected to have a laptop with MATLAB installed 
(Student version is sufficient).

/*
*/Eligibility and Attendance Criteria
/*
There is a maximum of 25 places in the School. Attendees will be 
selected on the basis of prior performance and to ensure a well-balanced 
mixture of skills within the group.
We particularly welcome attendance by academics in cognition and allied 
fields who want to broaden their expertise to include modelling.
Applicants from outside the EU are welcome.

To ensure the success of the School, attendants are expected to have (a) 
at least an undergraduate degree in psychology or an allied field; and 
(b) a basic level of ability to use MATLAB or equivalent programming 
expertise. This competence can be obtained by working through the 
tutorial at http://web.ift.uib.no/Teori/KURS/WRK/mat/singlemat.html and 
by working through one of a number of great books that will be listed on 
our website.

*/No advanced knowledge of mathematics or matrix algebra is required.
/*The exact prerequisites will be specified on www.cogsciwa.com 
<http://www.cogsciwa.com> by March 1.
 
*/Important Dates
/*
*/Now:  /*Feel free to contact the principal organizer, Stephan 
Lewandowsky (lewan at psy.uwa.edu.au <mailto:lewan at psy.uwa.edu.au>) , for 
further information.
*/1 March- 30 April:  /*Visit*/ /*www.cogsciwa.com 
<http://www.cogsciwa.com> for more information about attendance 
requirements and submit applications.
*/15 May:/*      All attendees will be informed of the outcome of their 
applications and waiting list will be announced. Applicants from new EU 
countries eligible for a */€100 /*discount*/ /*will also be contacted.
*/1 June:      /*Full payment of School fees must be received or slot 
will be allocated to people on waiting list.
*/9-19 July: /*Welcome to Austria!