The goal of this workshop was to advance the understanding of how cognition and action systems are integrated and operate synergistically. This knowledge of how humans efficiently interact and navigate in complex environments is vital for generating a comprehensive understanding of human behavior and will help shape the design of everyday objects and training and working environments. One poignant example is computer technology. Human-computer interfaces equipped with gestural and tangible technologies are becoming increasingly accessible and ubiquitous in educational, leisure, and work settings. A thorough understanding of the interactions between cognition and action is needed help designers engineer devices and environments that maximize the functionality and usability. Thus, the workshop will bring together a diverse group of scholars in the fields of psychology, neuroscience, kinesiology, and human-computer interactions to share and critically evaluate their cutting-edge theoretical, empirical, and translational developments.
Note: Some videos from this workshop may appear slightly altered to protect the privacy of individuals pictured in presentations.
The Evolutionary History of Integrated Cognition and Action
Paul Cisek, University of Montreal, Canada
While “cognition” and “action” are traditionally considered as theoretically distinct types of processes, a growing body of experimental data emphasizes their integration. This raises the question of whether these labels accurately demarcate true biological categories of processes within the brain or whether they are merely conceptual artifacts resulting from the tumultuous history of psychological theories. In my talk, I will address this question from the perspective of a different type of history: that of nervous system evolution along the vertebrate lineage leading to humans. I will summarize current thinking on how a sequence of neural innovations implemented the continuous expansion of the behavioral repertoire from early metazoans to modern primates. Along this route, the biologically relevant distinctions are not between serial functional modules such as perception, cognition, memory, or planning, but between parallel behavioral systems, each involving an entire closed sensorimotor loop that mediates interactions with the environment. These include general categories of activity such as forage vs. rest, explore vs. exploit, approach vs. avoid, as well as a variety of species-typical behaviors such as walking, climbing, burrowing, manipulation, vocalization, etc. I will review neurophysiological data suggesting that these distinctions provide a more natural mapping between structure and function in the brain, explaining why cognition and action should appear to be so closely integrated.
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