P3: Cognition

Human - Technology - Interaction

Cognition and cognitive science methods are currently dominating the public debate, both as a subject of scientific investigation and in their application in economically important high-tech areas. This not only raises fundamental questions about our own human self-image, but cognitive technologies are also associated with considerable economic potential and opportunities, which can only be glimpsed through the current paradigm shift from conventional IT to cognitive technologies, cognitive computing and cognitive services.

Together with parts of the Institute of Computer Science, the Institute of Psychology, Information Systems, Biology, the Institute of English and American Studies and virtUOS, the Institute of Cognitive Science is optimally positioned to maintain its national and international visibility in this field, both in basic research and in the numerous economically significant applications. Central research questions are dealt with in the profile line by three interdisciplinary clusters, which focus on the aspects of "language", "psychology" and "computer science". Joint applications for group funding are prepared in each cluster.

Language

The core topic of the "Language" cluster is the interface between language and cognition from the perspective of empirically informed and cognitively oriented linguistics. A fundamental question is how linguistic abilities relate to other cognitive abilities. Investigations into specific linguistic and cognitive phenomena are carried out with great methodological pluralism. The central guideline for the cluster is the benefits of language for cognitive functions such as memory, learning, cognitive control and flexibility as well as abstraction and analogical reasoning.

Psychology

Based on the big, overarching question "How does the brain work?", the "Psychology" cluster has focused on the question of researching psychological and biological aspects of explicit and implicit memory under environmental and habitual constraints. Different species, mice and humans, are studied under this guiding theme. Thanks to the methodological expertise of the researchers involved, this will be done with a special methodological range from molecular biology and hormone-altering to electrophysiological and behavioral experiments. In this way, research findings can range from the subcellular level to behavior. With a translational perspective, the cluster focuses on basic questions that are particularly relevant for selected disorders: Anxiety disorders and depression, cognitive-neurological (e.g. Alzheimer's dementia) disorders and endocrinological disorders (e.g. diabetes, obesity).

Informatics

The "Computer Science" cluster works on cognitively inspired methods of artificial intelligence and digitalization, both theoretically and in application. Within the broad spectrum of computer science methods, there is a particular focus on machine learning as a central aspect of cognitive computing. The focus here is on three perspectives on the problem of how machines can learn to solve complex problems. Firstly, bottom-up learning, unsupervised learning from individual example data; secondly, top-down learning as supervised learning, in which rules and constraints are integrated into the learning process; and thirdly, horizontal learning as a transfer process to reuse what has already been learned in a new problem. How can all three perspectives be successfully combined in order to learn skills with algorithms that are closer to the cognitive abilities of humans? The methodological diversity required for this and the cognitive perspective from a human viewpoint are the core competencies of the cluster.

The scientific excellence and networking of the "Cognition" profile line in science, society and industry is documented by impressive figures. Since the profile line was founded in 2016, the scientists involved have acquired third-party funding with a volume of over € 6.5 million through the two DFG Research Training Groups "Situated Cognition" and "Computational Cognition" as well as the BMBF-funded joint project "SIDDATA". The Research Training Group "Computational Cognition" was also prominently represented at the MS-Wissenschaft, a floating science exhibition organized by the DFG, in 2019. In addition, through the joint efforts of the Institute of Cognitive Science, School 8, the university management and the MWK, Prof. Dr. Simone Pika was recruited as professor for Osnabrück University. She joins the profile line with an ERC Consolidator Grant and enriches the group with her research on the evolutionary development of communication. In addition, there are many different individual and group grants in which the members of the profile line are significantly involved. In particular, some projects establish links to industry with projects on artificial intelligence and its application in e.g. agricultural robotics or in e-learning environments.