[ACT-R-users] Workshop on cognitive modeling of agents and multi-agent interactions

[rsun at cecs.missouri.edu]

                              Workshop on 
      Cognitive Modeling of Agents and Multi-Agent Interactions

                          During  IJCAI'2003 
                9-11 August, 2003. Acapulco, Mexico

Computational models of cognitive agents that incorporate a wide 
range of cognitive functionalities (such as a variety of 
memory/representation, various types of learning, and sensory motor 
capabilities) have been developed in both AI and cognitive science.
In AI, they  appear under the rubric of intelligent agents and
multi-agent systems. In cognitive science, they are often known as
cognitive architectures.  These strands of research provide useful 
paradigms for addressing some fundamental questions in  AI and
Cognitive Science.

Artificial intelligence started out with the goal of designing functioning
intelligent agents. However, faced with the enormous difficulty of
the task, the focus has largely been on modeling specific aspects of
intelligence, often in highly restricted domains.  Nevertheless, some
researchers have focused  on putting the pieces together with the goal
of designing autonomous agents. More important, there is a growing interest in
multi-agent interactions that addresses issues of coordination and cooperation 
among cognitive agents.

On the other side, traditionally, the main focus of research in cognitive
science has been on specific components of cognition (e.g., perception,
memory, learning, language). Recent developments in computational modeling
of cognitive architectures provide new avenues for precisely specifying
complex cognitive processes in tangible ways, thereby addressing foundational 
questions in  cognitive science. Such developments need to be extended to
multi-agent interactions and there are promising developments in this regard
(see e.g. recent papers in this area in the journal Cognitive Systems Research).

Against this background, this workshop seeks to bring together cognitive
scientists and AI researchers, with a wide range of background and expertise,
to discuss research problems in understanding cognition at the individual 
level as well as at the collective level.

The workshop is open to all members of the AI and CogSci research communities.
We invite submissions on all aspects of cognitive modeling of agents and 
multi-agent  interactions, including, but not limited to:

   * Cognitive architectures of individual cognitive agents. 

   * Cognitive models of multi-agent interactions (e.g., communication, 
     cooperation, and negotiation, in relation to cognition).

   * Cognitive models of multi-agent organizations (e.g., organizational 
     structure, economies, culture, and other coordination structures and 
     mechanisms, in relation to cognition).

   * Cognitive models of co-learning of multiple cognitive agents.

   * Computational models of evolution of cognition and behavior.

   * Computational abstractions, languages, and tools for cognitive modeling
     of agents and multi-agent interactions.

The discussions at the workshop will focus on the following issues,
among many others:

  * What are the characteristics of the successful cognitive architectures for 
    modeling individual cognitive agents?

  * What are the suitable characteristics of cognitive architectures for 
    modeling both individual cognitive agents and multi-agent interactions?

  * What are the fundamental ways of understanding and modeling multi-agent 
    interactions?  Can they be reduced to individual cognition?

  * How can we best characterize and model social structures and organizations 
    in relation to cognition?
  
  * How important is evolution in shaping individual cognition and collective
    behavior?  How can we model that aspect?



SUBMISSION
If you are interested in giving a presentation at the workshop, please submit 
a full paper, 6-10 pages, in the IJCAI paper format. If you are only interested 
in attending, submit a brief abstract (one page or less) describing your 
interest.

Use the IJCAI paper format (and templates) for your papers.  
See the IJCAI Web site:  http://www.ijcai-03.org for details.

Electronic submission is  required.  Only the Postscript or  PDF format is 
accepted.  Send your paper (in PS or PDF) as an email attachment.

In the body of your email, include (in plain ASCII): names of all authors,
their affiliations, their physical addresses, and their email addresses.
In addition, the same information should also be included in your paper itself.

All submissions should be sent to: rsun at cecs.missouri.edu

Each paper will be reviewed for technical soundness, relevance, significance, 
and clarity.  

An edited book volume, as well as  a special issue of the journal
Cognitive System Research, is planned for a selected subset of the papers of 
the workshop. 


IMPORTANT DATES AND DEADLINES
   * Deadline for the submission of full papers (6 to 10 pages) or abstracts (1
     page): March 1, 2003.
   * Notification of acceptance/rejection: March 30, 2003.
   * Deadline for the receipt of camera-ready papers: May 1, 2003





ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

Prof. Ron Sun  (Chair)
CECS Department, 201 EBW
University of Missouri-Columbia
Columbia, MO 65211-2060
rsun at cecs.missouri.edu
http://www.cecs.missouri.edu/~rsun

Prof. Cristiano Castelfranchi
Department of Communication Sciences
University of Siena 
Siena, Italy
castel at ip.rm.cnr.it

Prof. Jan Treur                                         
Department of Artificial Intelligence                    
Faculty of Sciences 
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam        
1081 HV Amsterdam, Netherlands   
treur at cs.vu.nl                                  

Dr. Robert L. West
Department of Psychology and Department of Cognitive Science
Carleton University
1125 Colonel By Drive
Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6
robert_west at carleton.ca

Dr. Christian Lebiere
Human-Computer Interaction Institute
School of Computer Science 
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
cl at andrew.cmu.edu



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See the workshop Web page at:
http://www.cecs.missouri.edu/~rsun/wsp03.html




===================================================================
Professor Ron Sun, Ph.D          
CECS Department, 201 EBW         phone: (573) 884-7662
University of Missouri-Columbia  fax:   (573) 882 8318 
Columbia, MO 65211-2060          email: rsun at cecs.missouri.edu 
http://www.cecs.missouri.edu/~rsun
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