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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Dear INFO-CHILDES and others,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Please help distribute this annoucement to anyone
interested in sitiated embodied</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>cognition and language.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Best,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Jordan Zlatev</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><BR>PLEASE POST * PLEASE POST * PLEASE POST *
PLEASE POST * PLEASE
POST<BR>*********************************************************************</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Call for Papers</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>First International Workshop on <BR>Epigenetic
Robotics: Modeling Cognitive Development in Robotic Systems </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>September 17-18, 2001<BR>Lund, Sweden</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><BR>During the last few years we have witnessed the
mutual rapprochement of two traditionally very different fields of study:
developmental psychology and robotics. This has come with the realization in
large parts of the cognitive science community that true intelligence in natural
and (possibly) artificial systems presupposes 3 crucial properties:
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>(a) the *embodiment* of the system, <BR>(b) its
*situatedness* in a physical and social environment and <BR>(c) a prolonged
*epigenetic developmental process* through which increasingly more complex
cognitive structures emerge in the system as a result of interactions with the
physical and social environment. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>To designate this new field we use the term
*epigenesis*, introduced in psychology by the great 20th century
developmentalist Jean Piaget to refer to such development, determined primarily
by interaction rather than genes. However, we believe that Piaget’s emphasis on
the importance of sensorimotor interaction needs to be complemented with what is
just as (and perhaps more) important for development: *social interaction*, as
emphasized by another important figure of 20th century developmental psychology,
Lev Vygotsky. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>In the emergent field of Epigenetic Robotics the
interests of psychologists and roboticists meet. The former are in a position to
provide the detailed empirical findings and theoretical generalizations that can
guide the implementations of robotic systems capable of cognitive (including
behavioral and social) development. Conversely, these implementations can help
clarify, evaluate, and even develop psychological theories, which due to the
complexity of the interactional processes involved have hitherto remained
somewhat speculative.<BR> <BR>We are thus pleased to invite the submission
of papers to the *First International Workshop on Epigenetic Robotics: Modeling
Cognitive Development in Robotic Systems*, which we hope to allow researchers
working in this new interdisciplinary field to share and discuss theoretical
frameworks, methodologies, results and problems. <BR> <BR>Subject areas
include, but are not limited to:<BR>* The role of motivation, emotions and value
systems in development <BR>* The development of sensorimotor schemata and an
"ecological self" <BR>* The development of joint attention <BR>* The development
of imitation and social learning <BR>* The development of mind-reading/theory of
mind <BR>* The development of non-verbal and verbal communication<BR>* The
development of shared meaning and symbolic reference <BR>* The development of
consciousness and self-awareness <BR>* The development of a concept of "person"
and social relationships<BR>* Developmental disorders (Autism, Williams’
Syndrome, ADHD/DAMP)<BR>* The interaction between innate structures and
experience in development</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The workshop, sponsored by Commuications Research
Laboratory, Japan,will be held for on September 17-18 in the charming town of
Lund in southern Sweden, home of one of the oldest universities of Northern
Europe, on September 17-18, just preceding the Fourth European Workshop on
Advanced Mobile Robots (EUROBOT'01). <BR> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Invited Speakers</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>* Christopher Sinha (Institute of Language and
Communication, University of Southern Denmark, Odense)<BR>* To be
announced</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Organizing Committee</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>* Christian Balkenius (Cognitive Science, Lund
University, Sweden) <<A
href="mailto:christian.balkenius@lucs.lu.se">christian.balkenius@lucs.lu.se</A>><BR>*
Cynthia Breazeal (Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, MIT, USA) <<A
href="mailto:cynthia@ai.mit.edu">cynthia@ai.mit.edu</A>><BR>* Kerstin
Dautenhahn (Adaptive Systems, The University of Hertfordshire, UK) <<A
href="mailto:K.Dautenhahn@herts.ac.uk">K.Dautenhahn@herts.ac.uk</A>><BR>*
Hideki Kozima (Commuications Research Laboratory, Japan) <<A
href="mailto:xkozima@crl.go.jp">xkozima@crl.go.jp</A>><BR>* Jordan Zlatev
(Linguistics, Lund University, Sweden) <<A
href="mailto:Jordan.Z@chula.ac.th">Jordan.Z@chula.ac.th</A>></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><BR>Submissions<BR>Papers not exceeding 8 pages
should be submitted electronically (PDF or PS) as attachment files to Hideki
Kozima <<A href="mailto:xkozima@crl.go.jp">xkozima@crl.go.jp</A>>Further
instructions to authors will be posted on the conference home page: <A
href="http://www.lucs.lu.se/epigenetic-robotics">http://www.lucs.lu.se/epigenetic-robotics</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Important Dates <BR>April 15, 2001: Submission of
papers<BR>June 15, 2001: Notification of acceptance<BR>August 1, 2001: Deadline
for camera-ready papers<BR>September 17-18, 2001: Workshop </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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