Dynamicism

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Dynamicism, also termed dynamic cognition, is an approach in cognitive science popularized by the work of philosopher Tim van Gelder. [1] [2] It argues that differential equations and dynamical systems are more suited to modeling cognition rather than the commonly used ideas of symbolicism, connectionism, or traditional computer models. [3] [4] It is closely related to dynamical neuroscience.

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Ping Li is currently Sin Wai Kin Professor in Humanities and Technology, Chair Professor of Neurolinguistics and Bilingual Studies, and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). Prior to joining PolyU, he was a Professor of Psychology, Linguistics, and Information Sciences and Technology, and Associate Director of the Institute for Computational and Data Sciences at Pennsylvania State University. His research interests are in language acquisition, bilingualism, and reading comprehension in both children and adults. He uses digital technologies and cognitive neuroscience methods to study neuroplasticity and individual differences in learning, so as to understand the relationships among languages, cultures, technology, and the brain. Li received a B.A. in Chinese linguistics from Peking University in 1983, an M.A. in theoretical linguistics from Peking University, a Ph.D. in psycholinguistics from Leiden University and the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in 1990, and completed post-doctoral fellowships at the Center for Research in Language at the University of California, San Diego and the McDonnell-Pew Center for Research in Cognitive Neuroscience in 1992. Li has been employed at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (1992–1996), the University of Richmond (1996–2006), and Pennsylvania State University (2008–2019), and he has also served as Program Director for the Perception, Action, and Cognition Program and the Cognitive Neuroscience Program at the National Science Foundation (2007–2009). Li was also President of the Society for Computation in Psychology and is currently Editor of Brain and Language, Elsevier and Senior Editor of Cognitive Science, Wiley. He is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

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Ezequiel A Di Paolo is a full-time Research Professor at Ikerbasque, the Basque Foundation for Science. He also has affiliations with the Centre for Computational Neuroscience and Robotics at the University of Sussex. His field of research covers enactivism and embodiment in cognitive science.

Cleotilde Gonzalez is a Research Professor of Decision Sciences in the Social and Decision Sciences Department. She is also the Research Co-Director of the National NSF AI Institute for Societal Decision Making and the founding director of the Dynamic decision-making laboratory at Carnegie Mellon University. Gonzalez is also affiliated with the Security and Privacy Institute (CyLab), the Center for Behavioral Decision Research (CBDR), the Human Computer Interaction Institute, the Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging, and the Center for Neural Basis of Cognition.

References

  1. Tim, van Gelder (1995), "What might cognition be, if not computation?", The Journal of Philosophy, 91 (7): 345–381, doi:10.2307/2941061, JSTOR   2941061
  2. Tim, van Gelder (October 1998), "The dynamical hypothesis in cognitive science", Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 21 (5): 615–628, doi:10.1017/S0140525X98001733, PMID   10097022
  3. Eliasmith, Chris (1996-12-01). "The third contender: A critical examination of the Dynamicist theory of cognition". Philosophical Psychology. 9 (4): 441–463. doi:10.1080/09515089608573194. ISSN   0951-5089.
  4. Zednik, Carlos (2009), "The Varieties of Dynamicism", Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, 31