IUBio

CFP: ASSC3

George Buckner synthesys at mindspring.com
Mon Nov 9 17:59:39 EST 1998


       ASSOCIATION FOR THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF CONSCIOUSNESS

            CALL FOR PAPERS, POSTERS & WORKSHOP PRESENTERS
                           FOR A CONFERENCE ON:

 CONSCIOUSNESS AND SELF:  NEURAL, COGNITIVE, AND PHILOSOPHICAL ISSUES

                    UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO
                 JUNE 4-7, 1999: LONDON, ONTARIO, CANADA


The third conference of the Association for the Scientific Study of
Consciousness will be held from June 4-7, 1999, at the University of
Western Ontario in London, Ontario, on the theme of "Consciousness and
Self".

Consciousness involves not just the passive experience of sensory
contents, but the active involvement of an agent. Phenomena such as
volition, social cognition, metacognition, self-recognition, self-
modeling, reflection, and planning all suggest that self-related phenomena
may be central to an understanding of consciousness.

Recent neurophysiological and neuroimaging research has linked these
self-related activities to specific brain activities, especially in
prefrontal cortex. Neuropsychologists have studied numerous disorders of
the self, often forcing our intuitive ideas about self to be revised.
Psychologists have investigated the role of self and agency in memory,
personality, volition, metacognition, and many other areas. Cognitive
models have suggested a central role for executive systems in
understanding these self-related phenomena of consciousness. And
philosophers have analyzed the relationship between consciousness, self,
and self-consciousness, with some arguing that self-directed cognition is
at the core of consciousness. The third ASSC conference will bring
together researchers from numerous disciplines to discuss these issues.

The third ASSC conference will bring together researchers from numerous
disciplines to discuss these issues.  Topics that will be discussed
include:

  --the role of executive systems in conscious agency
  --neuropsychological disorders of the self
  --brain imaging of self-related processes
  --the role of prefrontal cortex
  --self-recognition in animals and humans
  --consciousness and metacognition
  --self-knowledge and theory of mind in schizophrenia and autism
  --the relationship between consciousness and self-consciousness
  --the role of self-knowledge in memory
  --the role of self-models in spatial cognition and action
  --the relation between sensory perception and controlled action
  --the unity or multiplicity of "the self"
  --cross-cultural conceptions of self
  --face perception and consciousness

Confirmed speakers include: Jonathan Cole, Chris Frith, George Gallup Jr.,
Marc Jeannerod, Nancy Kanwisher, Alan Leslie, Thomas Metzinger, Morris
Moscovitch, David Perrett, Giacomo Rizzolatti, David Rosenthal, Endel
Tulving, and Daniel Wegner.


-------------------------
CALL FOR PAPERS & POSTERS
-------------------------

While the central theme of ASSC 3 is "consciousness and self", speakers
in concurrent sessions are invited to talk on any topic relevant to the
scientific study of consciousness.  Physiological, psychological, and
philosophical perspectives are all welcome.

Submissions for both posters and talks will be accepted. Any person
may present only one submission, but may be co-author on more
than one. Oral presentations will be limited to 20 minutes, to be
followed by a 10-minute discussion period.

Concurrent sessions, posters, symposia, and plenary lectures will
all be held in the Social Science Centre at The University of
Western Ontario.

---------
WORKSHOPS
---------

This notice is also intended as a call for workshop presenters. One aim
of this meeting is to allow researchers to gain a background in areas
that they may know little about. Towards that end a number of workshops
are planned.  Is there a topic you or perhaps one of your colleagues
might want to present? Some participants in the conference would be very
interested in learning about technical matters such as fMRI or other
brain imaging techniques. Others might enjoy a seminar on a
philosophical topic. If you have recently published a book or major
article on some topic you might want to lead a discussion on it. As with
papers the focus of all workshops should naturally fit within the
overall theme of the conference.  Sample topics might include:

    --The latest methods and implications of various brain scanning
       techniques (e.g. fMRI, EEG, SQUID, ERP)
    --Blindsight, neglect, or other neuropsychological syndromes.
    --Neural network or other theoretical models of processing in areas
       related to conscious activity
    --Differences and similarities between conscious and unconscious
       processing
    --Current models of the visual system
    --Consciousness and metacognition
    --Criteria for the ascription of consciousness
    --Philosophical issues concerning the self

    --Please suggest other sample topics, or modify the above!!

Workshops will be held in parallel sessions on the morning and afternoon
of June 4th. Each workshop is intended to last approximately three
hours.  The sizes of workshops will vary between a minimum of 10 to a
maximum of around 25 people. Workshops that do not achieve the minimum
enrollment of 10 people will not be offered. Workshop presenters will
receive an honorarium of 750 Canadian dollars. The cost of attending
workshops will be 75 Canadian dollars.


-----------------------
SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS
-----------------------

WORKSHOP PROPOSALS MUST BE RECEIVED BY JANUARY 15th 1998

PAPER AND POSTER SUBMISSIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY FEBRUARY 15TH 1998

Submissions to be a presenter of either a paper, workshop or poster
must include the following information:

1. Title.

2. An abstract of 150-250 words

3. Name(s)
   Institutional affiliation(s)
   Postal address(es)
   Email address(es)
   Telephone and fax numbers
   Membership status in the Association for the Scientific Study of
   Consciousness (Full member, Associate, or Non-member)

For papers and poster presenters:

4. A specification of which co-author will present the paper/poster at the
    meeting.

5. Be sure to indicate whether this is submitted as a

        a. Spoken presentation
        b. Poster

In case your presentation cannot be included as a talk,
please indicate your willingness to present it as a poster
instead:  Yes__  No__

Please send - using email where possible -  proposals
to:
       ASSC3
       C/-  Mel Goodale
       Department of Psychology
       University of Western Ontario
       London Ontario N6A 5C2
       CANADA

       Email: assccon3-request at julian.uwo.ca
       Phone: +1-519-661-2070; Fax: +1-519-661-3961


------------
REGISTRATION
------------

Deadline for early registration: April 15, 1999

Registration fees:      Early    Late
Non-members             $200     $250
ASSC members            $150     $185
Students                 $75     $100
Student ASSC members     $50      $75

Note: All fees are in Canadian dollars.
      PST and GST are included.
      Membership registration must be received by May 1, 1999 to ensure
discount.


-------------------
FURTHER INFORMATION
-------------------

Information about paper, poster, and workshop submissions, and
registration forms for the  conference as well as application forms for
membership in the society are all available from:

http://www.phil.vt.edu/assc
http://watermelon.psych.uwo.ca/~assccon3

Please check these sites for updates to program information and general
information about the society's activities. In addition you can find out
more about two ASSC journals at the following websites:

Consciousness & Cognition: http://www.idealibrary.com/

PSYCHE: http://psyche.cs.monash.edu.au/

Please address any further enquiries regarding the conference to the ASSC
organising committee at <assccon3-request at julian.uwo.ca>. The conference
organizing committee consists of: Bernard Baars, William Banks, David
Chalmers, Mel Goodale, Christof Koch, and Patrick Wilken.





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