From: Chrystopher Nehaniv Subject: CFP: COGNITIVE TECHNOLOGY CT97 - JAPAN Date: Tue, 11 Mar 1997 18:12:33 +0900 Organization: University of Aizu Annotated FINAL CALL FOR PAPERS COGNITIVE TECHNOLOGY 1997 Second International Conference on Cognitive Technology, CT'97 Humanising the Information Age 25 - 28 August 1997 University of Aizu, Japan [send us an e-mail ( ct97@u-aizu.ac.jp ) now if you intend to submit an extended abstract by March 31, 1997.] Invited Speakers: Frank Biocca The Ameritech Professor in Telecommunication and Computer Science Michigan State University, USA Rodney A. Brooks The Fujitsu Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Associate Director of the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA Richard W. Janney Professor of English Linguistics Executive Editor of Journal of Pragmatics University of Munich, Germany Naomi Miyake Professor, School of Computer and Cognitive Sciences Chukyo University, Japan Shinichi Okuyama Director, Radiology Division Tohoku Rosai Hospital, Japan supported by: The University of Aizu, Japan Media, Interface, and Networking Design Lab & Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI (host of CT'99) Cognitive Sciences Centre, University of Southampton, UK City University of Hong Kong (host of CT'95) * Refereed proceedings will be published by a well-known scientific publisher and be available at the conference. COGNITIVE TECHNOLOGY Cognitive Technology (CT) is the study of the integrative processes which condition interactions between people and the objects they manipulate. It is concerned with how technologically constructed tools (A) bear on dynamic changes in human perception, (B) affect natural human communication, and (C) act to control human cognitive adaptation. Cognitive systems must be understood not only in terms of their goals and computational constraints, but also in terms of the external physical and social environments that shape and afford cognition. Such an understanding can yield not only technological solutions to real world problems but also, and mainly, tools designed to be sensitive to the cognitive capabilities and affective characteristics of their users. CT takes a broader view of human capability than current research in Human Computer Interface (HCI) and emphasises putting more of the human into the interface without succumbing to the pretence that this can be achieved simply by simulating human features on machines. It aims to redirect progress in the Information Age away from mere advancements in Information Technology and proposes to study human-tool integration to increase, primarily, human socio-cognitive awareness and to help people fulfil their cognitive and social needs. CT is a process (an approach to design) and not a product of such a design. Tools can be designed according to CT principles; they are not in themselves instances of CT. CT evaluates the impact of proposed technological solutions to problems on the mindset of the humans who participate in them and subsequently takes a humane approach to devising tools which incorporate these solutions. Consequently, the focus is on human inputs to participation in technologically mediated interactions and not on technological outputs related to that interaction. CT should appeal to researchers across disciplines, especially those who are interested in the psychological and socio-cultural implications of developments in the interface between technology and human cognition. Any technology which provides a tool has implications for CT; computer technology has special importance because of its particular capacity to provide multi-sensory stimuli and emulate human cognitive processes. CONFERENCE THEME Problems and Praxis: Exploring and formulating methods for studying Cognitive Technology. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE The First International Conference on Cognitive Technology (Hong Kong, 1995) stressed the need for a radically new way of thinking about the impact computer technology has on humans, especially on the human mind. Our main aim at that time was a consideration of these effects with respect to rendering the interface between people and computers more humane. Participants in the upcoming Second International Conference will expand on that effort by exploring a number of related areas in greater detail. Of primary concern is the need to establish clear and precise methods for studying how environmental characteristics condition the processes of cognitive formation. Within such a framework, CT inquiries can be directed towards specific areas of development, the most important of which are listed below. CONFERENCE SUB-THEMES Papers may be submitted for inclusion in any of the following thematic subgroups. They should focus on addressing issues from a Cognitive Technology perspective and ought to include methodological considerations. 1. Rethinking Progress: Towards a manifesto for the Information Age There is a perceived need to change from a 'more is better', product-driven approach to technological development to a 'better is better' approach which responds to, rather than dictates, human need. Papers are invited which provide a theoretical consideration of how a Cognitive Technology approach may be formulated and applied in order to resolve problems in the following areas: o the relationship between current approaches to technological development and other issues (ecological, socio-political, psychological, and epistemological) which relate to ensuring/improving the quality of human life o the identification and evaluation of the goal structures implied in various approaches to technological development o the reconciliation of technological development with the demands of environmentalism. 2. Cognising at the Interface It is important to ensure that technological developments are oriented towards affording cognition and not merely the provision of information. Papers which are practically oriented towards methods of design and/or demonstration of systems whose features reflect Cognitive Technology principles, are particularly welcome. Areas to be addressed include: o global networking o multi-media o virtual reality o robotics o computer graphics o databases. 3. Empowering Humans Another concern is how Cognitive Technology can be applied to predict the impact, positive or negative, of technological development on the processes by which social groupings provide their members with opportunities for growth. Areas of particular interest are: o the design of national information infrastructures o the provision of technology access. 4. Rethinking Education We need to apply Cognitive Technology methods to the building of a technology infrastructure for education, one which optimises human development/benefit within the current context of changing educational systems. Papers are invited which explore this idea within the context of any of the following areas: o computer-aided collaborative learning o the design of self-access learning resources o technological facilitation of student-teacher interactions o the design of multifaceted online learning environments o humanising and increasing the relevance of formal education o facilitating interdisciplinary communication o the impact of information tools on the construction of knowledge within academic disciplines. CALL FOR PAPERS If you are interested in considering these issues (or other similar ones) and want to share your thoughts and hopes with like-minded people, please submit either 6 hard copies of an extended abstract (approximately 1500 words) or send it by email with attached files (preferably in Word 6.0) to: Jonathon Marsh The Centre for the Advancement of University Teaching The University of Hong Kong Pok Fu Lam Road Hong Kong. (TEL) 852 2859 8995 (FAX) 852 2540 9941 (EMAIL) JPMARSH@HKUCC.HKU.HK All abstracts will be refereed by an independent panel of experts. The opinions of the referees will determine the list of 30 papers to be presented at the conference. Deadline for abstracts: 15 March 1997 Notification of acceptance:22 April 1997 Full paper: 31 May 1997 Registration fee: before 1 July 1997: 36,000Yen 12,000Yen(Student) after 1 July 1997: 42,000Yen 12,000Yen(Student) * The abstracts deadline may be extended to 31 March upon request. Further information can be obtained from: CT97@u-aizu.ac.jp Tosiyasu L. Kunii kunii@u-aizu.ac.jp Jacob L. Mey jam@language.ou.dk Barbara Gorayska csgoray@cityu.edu.hk Jonathon Marsh jpmarsh@hkucc.hku.hk Chrystopher Nehaniv nehaniv@u-aizu.ac.jp --------------------------------------------------------------------- See the CT97 website for up-to-date detailed information, posters, and registration forms at: http://www.u-aizu.ac.jp/CT97/