Laboratories on Cognitive Informatics
Searching for the Meanings of Human Understanding and Accomplishment : Toward the Integration of Understanding and Being Able To Do
Hirofumi Saito
Professor, Department of Media Science
How does the brain understand “meanings”? In order to analyze the understanding mechanism of the brain, he has promoted diversified researches on human recognition, memory, feelings and actions. He has tried to analyze the procedures of diversified human information processing activities with cognitive science approach by utilizing cognitive psychology methods and measuring devices for brain waves, eyeball movement, and behavior. Recently he has targeted to analyze interaction between high level mental activities (such as human perception, memory, languages, thoughts, and care) and physical activities such as physical movement, movements, actions, and behavior) to support mental activities. For example, he has tried to consider knowledge processing “connecting” mental activities through languages with physical activities including gestures and to think about its “expression”. When your “thought” is expressed, it will lose “meanings” if it cannot come down. Even when it comes down, its mission cannot be accomplished if it cannot be put into actions. He thinks that performing practical researches on “How cognitive support can be achieved in your everyday life?” is also his important mission.
Cognitive Science Research on Creation and Discovery
Kazuhisa Miwa
Professor, Department of Media Science
He has worked out researches on human high level thinking processes based on information processing approach. Especially I have been interested in creative thinking processes, the so-called scientific discoveries. The subjects he is now working out include scientific investigation processes, interaction ( cooperative problem solution ), creating processes of ideas, inquiry processes of www space, observation processes, and their tutoring support. At our laboratory these subjects have been researched in relation to three fields such as Computational Model, Psychological Experiment, and Tutoring System.
The Outline of Human Mind
Nobuyuki Kawai
Associate Professor, Department of Media Science
He has studied how human beings and animals obtain information on their environment, obtain knowledge, and conduct appropriate behaviors. He has taken human adults and children, autistic, and primates other them human beings as objects of his study. In this way, he has tried to make the outline of human mind clearer while he is studying what part of human mind is particular only to the human beings and what part is in common with other animals. Recently he has researched communication related part of human mind such as why we turn out attention to the direction others are looking at or pointing out by utilizing computer graphics and robots. He has also conducted researches on output of human actions; how the plan of systematic movement such as typing is carried out.
Experimental Psychological Research on Object Recognition
Hidemichi Mitsumatsu
Assistant Professor, Department of Media Science
He has studied how human beings recognize objects. The objects around us look different due to the changes of conditions such as lightings and from where we observe them.
Despite the changes, human beings can distinguish various objects for a short time. What kind of information processing of human beings enables them to recognize objects?
He has tested various hypotheses which have been proposed on such a question be means of experimental psychological methods. Especially by introducing virtual environment to the experiment and approach of making the environment of experimental laboratory almost the same as that of outdoors, he has been interested in researches on human recognition which have not been explained by means of conventional researches.
Please also refer to the Web site on Cognitive Science Laboratory.