Events for December 05, 2014
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AI SEMINAR - Towards a computational framework for how we represent other people
Fri, Dec 05, 2014 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Information Sciences Institute
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Damian Stanley, Caltech
Talk Title: Towards a computational framework for how we represent other people
Abstract: Predicting other peoplesâ beliefs, desires, and intentions is a primary function of human cognition and is essential to thrive in our complex social world. To do this efficiently and successfully, we must form lasting representations of individuals and social groups based on information we receive through personal and vicarious experience. My research is focused on developing a computational account of the neurocognitive mechanisms through which we learn about other people, make social predictions, and are influenced by social biases. To achieve this, I employ a multidisciplinary approach, integrating a wide range of techniques from cognitive neuroscience, social psychology, neuroeconomics, computational modeling of learning and decision-making, and clinical psychology. My theoretical model of social learning and decision-making treats social group biases as a set of initial guesses (akin to Bayesian priors) that inform our social decision-making when we lack specific information about a person with whom we are interacting. Using these priors as a starting point, we form and update our mental representation of a person (as well as their social group) on the basis of observed behavior. I will present behavioral and neural data on the influence of race bias on trust estimations, as well as the computational processes through which we learn about individualsâ traits and intentions (i.e., theory of mind), and how these processes might be disrupted in individuals with social impairments (e.g. Autism Spectrum Disorder). These results suggest that while many common processes support learning about social and non-social entities, there may also exist neural computations unique to social learning.
Biography: Damian Stanley completed his Ph.D. in Neural Science at New York University in 2005, studying mid-level visual processing. In his postdoctoral work, he turned his focus toward developing a computational account of the neurocognitive processesthrough which we learn about and represent other people. In his first postdoctoral position with Elizabeth Phelps at New York University he investigated how implicit race biases influence social trust. In his current postdoctoral position, with Drs. Ralph Adolphs and John OâDoherty at Caltech, he uses computational models and model-based fMRI to characterize typical and atypical (e.g. autism spectrum disorder) social learning. This line of research is funded by an NIMH career development award (K01-MH099343).
Host: Greg Ver Steeg
Webcast: http://webcasterms1.isi.edu/mediasite/Viewer/?peid=8d563808c16942bda353a815b33370d01dLocation: Information Science Institute (ISI) - 11th floor conference room
WebCast Link: http://webcasterms1.isi.edu/mediasite/Viewer/?peid=8d563808c16942bda353a815b33370d01d
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Kary LAU
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor. -
NL Seminar- Multisensory integration in a neural framework for concepts
Fri, Dec 05, 2014 @ 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Information Sciences Institute
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Kingson Man , USC/BCI
Talk Title: Multisensory integration in a neural framework for concepts
Series: Natural Language Seminar
Abstract: How are concepts represented in the brain? When we hear the ringing of a bell, or watch a bell swinging back and forth, is there a shared "BELL" pattern of neural activity in our brains? Philosophers have debated the nature of concepts for centuries, but recent technical advances have allowed neuroscientists to make contributions to this topic. The combination of functional neuroimaging and machine learning has allowed us to examine distributed patterns of activity in the human brain to decode what they represent about the world, and to what level of abstraction. I describe our recent findings that revealed a hierarchical organization of multisensory information integration, leading to representations that generalize across different sensory modalities. I will also discuss our work on the social function of concepts, which enables the communication of similar thoughts and associations between individuals.
Biography: I am a research associate at the Brain and Creativity Institute of the University of Southern California. I earned my Ph.D. at USC, mentored by Antonio Damasio. I am interested in the general problem of consciousness, and in particular how different sensations are bound together by the brain into a unified experience of the world.
Host: Aliya Deri and Kevin Knight
More Info: http://nlg.isi.edu/nl-seminar/
Webcast: http://webcasterms1.isi.edu/mediasite/Viewer/?peid=56056025433c402fa77a297e7b2e24381dLocation: Information Science Institute (ISI) - 6th Flr Conf Rm # 689, Marina Del Rey
WebCast Link: http://webcasterms1.isi.edu/mediasite/Viewer/?peid=56056025433c402fa77a297e7b2e24381d
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Peter Zamar
Event Link: http://nlg.isi.edu/nl-seminar/
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor.
