Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research published in this series may include views on policy, but the institute itself takes no institutional policy positions. The Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in Bonn is a local and virtual international research center and a place of communication between science, politics and business. IZA is an independent nonprofit organization supported by Deutsche Post World Net. The center is associated with the University of Bonn and offers a stimulating research environment through its international network, workshops and conferences, data service, project support, research visits and doctoral program. IZA engages in (i) original and internationally competitive research in all fields of labor economics, (ii) development of policy concepts, and (iii) dissemination of research results and concepts to the interested public. IZA Discussion Papers often represent preliminary work and are circulated to encourage discussion. Citation of such a paper should account for its provisional character. A revised version may be available directly from the author. IZA Discussion Paper No. 3333

Abstract – A variety of life functions and cognitive processes have been identified in cognitive informatics, psychology, cognitive science, and neurophilosophy. This paper attempts to develop a Layered Reference Model of the Brain (LRMB) that formally and rigorously explains the functional mechanisms and cognitive processes of the natural intelligence. A comprehensive and coherent set of mental processes and their relationships is identified in LRMB, that encompasses 37 cognitive processes at six layers known as the sensation, memory, perception, action, meta cognitive, and higher cognitive layers from the bottomup. The LRMB reference model provides an integrated framework for modeling the brain and the mind. LRMB also enables future extension and refinement of cognitive processes within the same hierarchical framework. LRMB can be applied to explain a wide range of physiological, psychological, and cognitive phenomena in cognitive informatics, particularly the relationships and interactions between the inherited and the acquired life functions, as well as those of the subconscious and conscious cognitive processes. Index Terms – Cognitive informatics, the brain, reference model, natural intelligence, cognitive

Modern software such as word processors, slide preparation/presentation tools, or music composition packages are designed to produce artifacts or performances. Now, some designers are expanding their goals to include creativity support into their software. This essay builds on the genex framework for creativity, which has four phases and eight activities. It focuses on the composition activity by considering tools to support initiation, revision, and evaluation. Some existing tools provide partial support that suggests ways in which to develop more ambitious low, middle, and high level tools. The goal is to enable more people to be more creative more of the time.

In this paper, we describe our work-in-progress for developing Collaborative Discovering Tool (CoDi tool) that is meant for enhancing knowledge building environment in the Fle2 system. Knowledge-building discourse in Fle2 type of systems usually leads to gradual accumulation of notes so that the users find it very difficult to get an overall picture of knowledge produced and synthesize knowledge advancement. By providing means for the participants to mark key ideas that they find particularly useful, the CoDi tool is designed to facilitate collective management of knowledge and inquiry. The data produced by marking key ideas can be used to create various visual representations of the database that help the participants to navigate through the database and build on the recognized ideas. We report results of a pilot experiment of the CoDi prototype. The prototype appears to be a promising tool but there are certain open questions concerning what are the social and pedagogical effects of marking ideas in different educational setting, how marking should be organized so that it would provide strongest facilitation of knowledge advancement, and whether the results should always be shared not only by tutors but also by students. Regardless of the challenges, the development of the CoDi tool appears to open up an interesting line of inquiry that we would like to share with the CSCL community.

This paper attempts to establish a systems-semiotic framework explaining creativity in the design process, where the design process is considered to have as its basis the cognitive process. The design process is considered as the interaction between two or more cognitive systems resulting in a purposeful and ongoing transformation of their already complex representational structures and the production of newer ones, in order to fulfill an ill-defined goal. Creativity is considered as the result of an emergence of organizational complexity in each cognitive system participating in the design process, while it is trying to purposefully incorporate new constraints in its meaning structures. The meanings generated in each system are identified as the contingent and anticipatory content of its representations, and where selforganization is the dominant process in which they are continuously involved. Furthermore, Peircean semiotic processes appear to provide the functionality needed by the emergent representational structures in order to complete the cycle of a creative design process. Creativity originates in the abductive stage of the semiotic process, the fallible nature of which is maintained in the proposed framework by the fact that the respective emergent representations can be misfits. The nodal points of the framework are identified and analyzed showing that a cognitive system needs the whole interactive anticipatory cycle in order to engage in a creative design process.

genetic algorithms

Abstract: This paper provides elements of a transformational conceptual framework for CSCL by focusing on how learning takes place when the answer is not known (this being the case for complex design problems in numerous domains encountered in lifelong learning activities). The paper postulates, explores, and discusses visions, theories, systems, practices, and methods for CSCL with a focus on reflective communities (bringing stakeholders together from many different backgrounds, requiring cultural and epistemological pluralism to make all voices heard), metadesign (allowing owners of problems to act as designers and active contributors, and not only as consumers), and social creativity (bringing different and often controversial points of view together to create a shared understanding among stakeholders that can lead to new insights, new ideas, and new artifacts). Innovative socio-technical environments are needed to make progress in achieving these objectives. Examples and characteristics of such environments will be briefly presented and discussed. Some implications and challenges for future research in CSCL are derived and articulated.

Playing games together can be surprisingly difficult – people have limited free time and are tending to live live farther away from friends and family. We introduce PlayTogether, a system that lets people play typical (and as-yet-unimagined) board games together even when they are far away from each other. We have adapted the PlayAnywhere tabletop system so that multiple remotely located people can engage in game-play. PlayTogether enhances the play experience by exchanging carefully composited video of remote players ’ hands and real game pieces. The video that is transmitted mimics a player’s viewpoint via careful camera location. Because PlayTogether’s camera senses in the infrared, it is easy to distinguish between objects in the camera’s view and projected imagery. These capabilities create an interesting and engaging way to blend the virtual and real in multi-player gaming.

What would happen if we wrote an Abstract that was the exact opposite of what the paper described? This is a bad idea, but it makes us think more carefully than usual about properties of Abstracts. This paper describes BadIdeas, a collection of techniques that uses ‘bad ’ or ‘silly ’ ideas to inspire creativity, explore design domains and teach critical thinking in interaction design. We describe the approach, some evidence, how it is performed in practice and experience in its use.

The paper contrasts two views on knowing: those of the observer and the active actor in a situation. The paper suggests that there are design cases where performance can produce different knowledge. The paper reviews the use of performances in theatre and discusses a technique to use performances in the design of mobile services. The technique is illustrated by example. The session are analysed to describe creativity and knowledge of participants.