The Cognitive Lunch talks will be on Wednesdays from 12:10 pm - 1:25 pm in the Psychology conference room (PY 128) located behind the main office.
Feb 27, 2013: Michael Hansen, IU Cognitive Science
Title: Understanding Code
Abstract: What makes code hard to understand? Existing 'code complexity' metrics provide thresholds below which code is expected to be more understandable. In this talk, we present an experiment in which participants predict the exact output of 10 Python programs within these thresholds. We use subtle differences between program versions to demonstrate that seemingly insignificant notational changes can have profound effects on correctness and response times. Our results show that experience increases performance in most cases, but may hurt performance significantly when underlying assumptions about related code statements are violated.
Mar 6, 2013: Lilian Weng (IU, Informatics)
Title: Cognitive Lunch
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Mar 20, 2013: Jason Yoder (IU, Computer Science)
Title: Cognitive Lunch
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Mar 27, 2013: Jing Pan (IU, Psychological and Brain Sciences)
Title: Embodied Memory: Perceiving Effectively with Optic Flow and Image Structure Information
Abstract: Optic flow and image structure are two sources of visual information that allow us to perceive spatial relations in a crowded 3D environment. In this talk, we will discuss some recent studies showing that efficient and stable perception of object locations relies on a unitary visual system using both optic flow and image structure information. The two interact: optic flow calibrates image structure; image structure yields an embodied memory for spatial information contained in optic flow. This theoretical development is further applied to understanding effective perception with low vision, which impairs image-based vision, but not the detection of optic flow.
Apr 3, 2013: Torrin Liddel (IU, Psychological and Brain Sciences)
Title: Towards a More Flexible View of Punishment: Results From a Trembling Hand Public Goods Game
Abstract: Suppose someone freeloads on a group endeavor. Should that person be punished, even if the freeloading was accidental? One prevalent view argues that punishment judgments are not sensitive to intentions, not affected by their efficacy, and are inflexibly applied in all cases of harm. In this talk, we describe results that challenge this view from a new paradigm, the trembling-hand public goods game. Unlike previous public goods games, this paradigm allows intention and outcome to be dissociated. Our version also incorporates exclusion (i.e. ostracism) as a potential punishment, in contrast with the typically used costly fines. Moreover, we use automated players to allow complete experimental control over the game environment. Our data analysis uses Bayesian hierarchical multinomial logistic regression to estimate how strongly punishers weigh a freeloader’s intended and actual contributions. We find that judgments to exclude weigh intended contribution more than actual contribution, while judgments to fine do the reverse. We also find that participants are responsive to the punishment norms of those around them, and that participants develop nuanced punishment patterns to best extract contributions from other players
Apr 10, 2013: Aaron Fath (IU, Psychological and Brain Sciences)
Title: Cognitive Lunch
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Apr 17, 2013: Ke Sang (IU, Psychological and Brain Sciences)
Title: Cognitive Lunch
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Apr 24, 2013: Jonathan Crystal (IU, Psychological and Brain Sciences)
Title: What can animals tell us about cognition?
Abstract: Abstract: Research in my lab aims to develop animal models of memory, with a particular focus on developing assessments that tap into the types of memory systems that are impaired in human diseases of memory. One objective for studying cognition in animals is that it may provide insight into impairments in cognition observed in people. Cognitive impairments are debilitating, and developing insight into the origins of such impairments may aid in the development of effective treatments. Significant obstacles impede the development of such models. Although there is a long history of studying learning and memory in animals, the types of cognitive processes involved in many cases of learning and memory may not match the types of impairments observed clinically. Thus, it is possible that treatments such as drug-development programs may be effective at the pre-clinical level but may not be effective when translated to clinical populations. In this talk, I will present four lines of evidence that rats remember specific earlier episodes. The approach is to develop an animal model of episodic memory by using multiple, converging lines of evidence.
May 1, 2013: Søren Kyllingsbæk (University of Copenhagen, Psychology)
Title: Cognitive Lunch
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