WORKSHOP INVITATION
Cognitive Science and the Study of Religious Experience

Plenary speakers for the event are Francisco Varela (LENA-CNRA, Paris) and Dan Sperber (Laboratoire d'ethnologie et de Sociologie comparative de l'Universite de Paris). Other confirmed participants include *Gustavo Benavides (Villanova), Pascal Boyer (CNRS MRASH, Lyon), Matti Kamppinen (Turku University, Helsinki), Judith Kovach (Boston University), Ilkka Pyysiainen (Turku University, Helsinki), Stuart Guthrie (Fordham), *Brian Lancaster (John Moores University, Liverpool), Tom Lawson (Western Michigan), Barbara Lex (Harvard Medical School), Don Lopez (University of Michigan), Bob McCauley (Emory), Andrew Newberg (University of Pennsylvania Medical School), Benson Saler (Brandeis), and Robert Sharf (University of Michigan), Donald Wiebe (Trinity College, Toronto).

The symposium will undertake a cultural analysis of the encounter between cognitive science and the study of religious experience. Focusing thematically on "methodology," scholars of religion will gain the opportunity to develop, in conversation with brain scientists, more nuanced phenomenological typologies of religious experience while learning about the neural correlates of these experiences; concurrently, brain scientists may be led to consider the implications of varieties of religious experience for current understandings of neural conditioning and the implications of repetition in religious practice for studies of learning and imprinting.

The thematic focus on "methodology" promises to highlight assumptions, presuppositions and biases, which often serve as conceptual ordering devices. Indeed, the brain/mind's symbolic construction and representation of its environment may serve as the point of methodological contact enabling cognitive science, especially neuroscience, to converse with scholars interested in cross-cultural studies of religious experience.

Further themes to be examined during the symposium include a sociological survey of the manner in which methodologies and theories are portrayed in specialist literature; different means and standards of expert validation; the arisal of evaluative processes and matrices of influence when competing validation claims come together; common modes of metaphor usage and model construction across disciplines; and the implications of the interdisciplinary encounter between cognitive science and the study of religious experience for a broad investigation of human behavior and world experience.

The symposium will enhance a broadened conception of research and scholarly activity primarily via three modes: 1) plenary addresses by invited speakers will be open to all members of the greater university community; 2) media coverage of the event likely will be arranged in conjunction with the UVM's Department of Continuing Education, and videotapes of selected presentations and working meetings may be made available to faculty and students at other institutions for pedagogical purposes; and 3) an edited volume will be published following the symposium.

No registration fee will be charged for the Workshop, and all meals will be covered for presenters and their spouses/partners. Information on accomodations will be forthcoming, and with conference rates between $50 and $129 depending upon the hotel selected by each guest.

Should you wish to submit a paper abstract for the program, please respond to one of our Student Conference Coordinators, Stephanie McCusker (smccuske@zoo.uvm.edu) with a few sentences on your suggested topic by Friday, February 6, 1998. Having received all suggested paper topics, I will organize speakers into suggested thematic panels and respond to you with this information by Monday, February 16, 1998. Final abstracts of approximately 300 words may be submitted as late as February 27.

We look forward to your participation in the Workshop.
Sincerely yours,
Jensine Andresen
Department of Religion
University of Vermont
481 Main Street
Burlington, VT 05405
(802) 656-0231

INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS
ON DISCOVERY AND CREATIVITY

Papers are welcomed on any logical or methodological aspects of discovery and creativity, in the sciences as well as in the arts. There will also be room for historical, sociological and psychological studies that are methodologically relevant. Papers may cover topics from the following (not exclusive) list: philosophical and methodological issues in the study of discovery and creativity; logical analyses that may contribute to our understanding of these issues; historical, psychological, sociological explanations of specific discoveries and creative processes; cognitive models of discovery and creativity; AI systems for discovery tasks.

Authors must submit five printed copies and an electronic version (MS-Word or PostScript) of their abstract (max. 1000 words) not later than 15 December 1997.

The latest information will be continuously available at http://allserv.rug.ac.be/~jmeheus.

People planning to attend the congress or interested in further information, are asked to complete and return the following Registration of Interest Form to joke.meheus@rug.ac.be

REGISTRATION OF INTEREST

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[ ] I would like to receive further, updated information

[ ] I intend to attend the congress

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For further information and submission please write to:
Joke Meheus
Wijsbegeerte
Universiteit Gent tel.: (++ 32) 9 264 37 85
Blandijnberg 2 fax : (++ 32) 9 264 41 87
B-9000 Gent (Belgium) Joke.Meheus@rug.ac.be
Home: Zeugsteeg 6, B-9000 Gent (Belgium), tel.: (++ 32) 9 233 91 06

Come to Your Senses!
Amsterdam, May 25-29, 1998

From: "Mario A. Caro"

The Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis, Theory and Interpretation (ASCA), Cornell University, and Felix Meritis announce an International Conference

Conference Directors: Mieke Bal (ASCA) and Michael Steinberg (Cornell University)

Organizing Committee: Eloe Kingma, Frans-Willem Korsten, Françoise Lucas, Wilma Siccama. Conference Web Site

Reflection and discussion on the cultural life of the senses as a topic of inquiry helps overcome a number of oppositions that traditionally wreak havoc in academic work as well as in cultural life in general: between the individual and the social dimensions of culture, the body and the mind, the sense of truth according to sense-data and interpretation as a subjective act, and, last but not least, the universal facts of life and the historically contingent events that shape them. Are the senses universal, or is it possible to speak of culturally specific histories of sense perception? The divisions of academic work as well as of art practice are divided according to the senses into disciplines that derive their self-definition from a specific sense-domain: visual art, music, literature, even such a fundamentally multidisciplinary medium as film, tend to be defined according to the senses involved in the processing of the works of art that address them. These disciplines also tend to be defined as "the history of..." But history is in the present.

"The senses" know of no disciplinary division; the body participates in all cultural processes, and cannot be "cut up" into sense-domains. But do they have a history? Is the way we listen to music today connected to the way the "original" listeners perceived, sensually enjoyed, and interpreted the same music? Is the experience of looking at art meaningfully understood by knowledge of original meanings and contexts only, or do we look today with the history of seeing as well as the society around us in our bodies, so that what we see can "make sense" in ways that would be impossible in another time and place? We know that the experience in the movie theater or in front of a television set cannot be reduced to a sequence of frames and a story unfolded. But how do music, voices, images, words, space and pace work together, and how does the past show up in that work now?

The practical organization of the conference is as follows: In the mornings, two plenary lectures, followed by a coffee break, will be discussed at some length, to avoid the parade effect of conferences with an overly filled schedule. In three of the afternoons, constant groups formed beforehand will not read papers but discuss them. This format that ASCA has tried out for three years now, allows much more serious discussion and contacts than the usual short paper-readings. It takes some strict deadlines, but the concept works wonderfully: papers are sent in three months beforehand, and collected into readers which participants will have read when the conference begins. Each writer frames the paper in terms of its past - where it comes from, what the broader project is - and the present - how it connects to the other papers in the session. The wednesday afternoon is devoted to excursions such as visiting the city with an expert guide, and a tour through the over-populated area between Amsterdam and Rotterdam, followed by a guided tour through special exhibitions at the Museum Boymans van Beuningen. (Genre painting, "Minnelust en Reine Liefde" - changing conceptions of sex and love on ancient earthenware, and Picabia) Friday afternoon, a one-session workshop will discuss the contributions to the ASCA contest "One Object, Many Senses", a contest of close reading and interpretation in an interdisciplinary perspective. The five days will each have a focus, connected to one of the workshops that are held in parallel in the afternoons, and to plenary lecture followed by in-depth discussions in the mornings. While disciplinary divisions will be avoided, the themes of the workshops will be enhanced in one plenary session each, so that participants have the benefit both of the in-depth, continuous work of their workshop and of the overall thematic of the conference.

Registration

Participation in the workshops: You are invited to send a proposal to the coordinator of the workshop of your choice before December 1st, 1997. If you are accepted, please send your paper before February 1st, 1998 to the workshop directors and to the ASCA office. Proposals should be a max. of 500 words and include a curriculum vitae. The papers themselves should be a max. of 5000 words. To produce the readers, the ASCA office will need your text in hard copy and either on floppy disc (wp 5.1 for DOS or Macintosh wp 3.0, Macwrite, Word or by e-mail) or by e-mail. Notes should be included at the end of the document as part of the text. We also need your postal and e-mail addresses.

Auditors: It is possible to attend the lectures, excursions and some of the workshops without presenting a paper. Please send your registration to the ASCA office, or get in touch by e-mail or telephone in order to register. The fees include lunches, excursions, coffee/tea, dinner party and materials.

Registration fees:

Faculty: 200 Dfl. Students and Unemployed: 150 Dfl. ASCA Ph D Candidates: 100 Dfl.

Addresses:

ASCA, Spuistraat 210, 1012 VT Amsterdam, The Netherlands, tel. +31 20 525 3874, fax: +31 20 525 3052, e-mail: asca@let.uva.nl, web: http://www.let.uva.nl/~asca

WORKSHOPS:

Technologies of Perception: Lutz Musner, IFK, Danhauergasse 1, A-1040 Wien, fax: +43-1 504 1132, e-mail: musner@ifk.ac.at

On Skin and Bones: Peter Mason, Lauriergracht 116, 1016 RR Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Fax: +31 20 6382498, e-mail: mason@xs4all.nl

Bodies of Judgement: Lynda Nead, University of London, Dept. of History of Art, Birkbeck College, 43 Gordon Square, London WC1H OPD, UK, e-mail: l.nead@hist-art.bbk.ac.uk

The Second Sense: Michael Steinberg, Dept. of History, Cornell University, McGraw Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA, e-mail: mps4@cornell.edu

Bi-sensitivity: Maaike Bleeker, ASCA (see above), e-mail: maaike.bleeker@let.uva.nl

Event and Engagement: Patricia Pisters, University of Amsterdam, Dept. of Film and TV Studies, Nieuwe Doelenstraat 16, 1012 CP Amsterdam, The Netherlands, e-mail: patricia.pisters@let.uva.nl

Consciousness and self in the brain:
A Global Workspace perspective

Seminar commences on October 12, 1997, and will be led by:

Bernard J. Baars and Katherine McGovern The Wright Institute Berkeley, California

Target Paper: "Metaphors of consciousness and attention in the brain." by Bernard J. Baars, Trends in Neurosciences, in press. We have permission from TINS and Elsevier Publishers, to post the target paper on the ASSC website http://www.phil.vt.edu/ASSC/ for public access. Our intention is to encourage and support wide dissemination and discussion of the ideas generated in the seminar, while protecting the electronic privacy of the panelists.

Seminar dialog will be available to the public, both at the ASSC web site and via the ASSC seminar mailing list at ASSC-SEMINAR1@LISTSERV.UH.EDU.

Abstract for the seminar:

Global Workspace theory is a simple cognitive architecture that has been developed to account qualitatively for a large set of matched pairs of conscious and unconscious processes (Baars, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1997). Such matched contrastive pairs of phenomena can be either psychological or neural. Psychological phenomena include subliminal priming, automaticity with practice, selective attention, and many others. Neural examples include coma and blindsight. Like other cognitive architectures (Newell, 1990), GW theory may be seen in terms of a theater metaphor of mental functioning. Consciousness resembles a bright spot on the theater stage of Working Memory (WM), directed there by a spotlight of attention, under executive guidance (Baddeley, 1992). The rest of the theater is dark and unconscious. "Behind the scenes" are contextual systems, which shape conscious contents without ever becoming conscious, such as the dorsal cortical stream of the visual system. This architectural approach leads to specific neural hypotheses. For sensory consciousness the bright spot on stage is likely to require the corresponding sensory projection areas of the cortex. Sensory consciousness in different modalities may be mutually inhibitory, within approximately 100-ms time steps. Sensory cortex can be activated internally as well as externally, resulting in conscious inner speech and imagery. Once a conscious sensory content is established, it is broadcast widely to a distributed "audience" of expert networks sitting in the darkened theater, using corticocortical and corticothalamic fibers. Among the experts behind the scenes are "self-systems," viewed as contextual data structures that both shape and receive information from the bright spot; they include parts of prefrontal cortex, but may range posteriorly as far as parietal cortex for visual orientation. The primary functional role of consciousness is to allow a "blackboard" architecture to operate in the brain, in order to integrate, provide access, and coordinate the functioning of very large numbers of special- ized networks that otherwise operate autonomously (Mountcastle, 1978). All the elements of GW theory have reasonable brain interpretations, allowing us to generate a set of specific, testable brain hypotheses about consciousness and its many roles in the brain. This approach is compatible with a number of other proposals (Crick, 1984; Crick & Koch, 1990; Damasio, 1989; LaBerge, 1997; Gazzaniga, 1996; Ramachandran, 1995; Edelman, 1989; Llinas & Ribary, 1992; Newman & Baars, 1993; Shallice, 1976; Posner, 1992).

Public dialog and feedback will be invited for a period of two to four weeks following the conclusion of the seminar.

We are most grateful to the ASSC Seminar Committee for making this electronic seminar possible. They include:

Jim Newman, ASSC E-seminar Coordinator George Buckner, ASSC Network Coordinator Patrick Wilken, Editor, PSYCHE, Monash University Valerie Hardcastle, Webmaster

George Buckner http://www.mindspring.com/~metacom/ Network Systems Analyst, Lockheed Martin Associate Editor, PSYCHE http://psyche.cs.monash.edu.au Network Coordinator, ASSC http://www.phil.vt.edu/ASSC/

International Philosophy Conference: LANGUAGE, MIND, AND MACHINES

WORKSHOP ON LANGUAGE AND SPACE

A two-day workshop on July 27-28, 1997
Fourteenth National Conference on Artificial Intelligence
AAAI-97
Providence, Rhode Island

FURTHER INFORMATION
Contact: Patrick Olivier (plo@aber.ac.uk)
Workshop URL: http://www.aber.ac.uk/~plo/AAAI-97/

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE Kenny Coventry (University of Plymouth) Wolfgang Maass (Universitdt des Saarlandes) Amitabha Mukerjee (Indian Institute of Technology) Patrick Olivier (University of Wales, Aberystwyth) Michael Schober (New School) Rohini Srihari (CEDAR, Buffalo) Barbara Tversky (Stanford University) Laure Vieu (IRIT, Toulouse)

ABSTRACTS OF PRESENTATIONS Spatial Problem Solving and Functional Relations Kenny R. Coventry, Graham D. Smith & Karen Shannon University of Plymouth

Three experiments investigated the role of object knowledge on subjects ability to solve a spatial arrangement problem. The task was to rearrange six real three-dimensional objects so that their relative locations agreed with a given set of rules. The aim of the experiments was to tease out the relative extent to which object association, orientation and object-specific functional relations affect performance on arrangement tasks. When the problem was presented three-dimensionally (objects arranged in piles), both adults (experiment one) and children (13-14 year olds; experiment three) solved functional canonical versions of the problem significantly more quickly than functional non-canonical versions, or versions not involving functional pairs of objects. When the arrangement problem was presented two- dimensionally (objects arranged flat in two rows), no

significance differences in solution times were found between conditions with a group of adults (experiment two). Overall the results provide clear evidence for the importance of object-specific functional relations as a predictor of the solution time of spatial arrangement problems. The importance of functional information in memory as a constraint in the building of mental models and problem spaces is discussed.

Conceptual Elements for Implementing Verbal Expressions used in Route Descriptions Agnis Gryl and Bernard Moulin Universit Laval, Qu bec

In this paper, we propose a new conceptual representation for handling spatial information. This representation tries into account the linguistic and cognitive constraints that we found during the study of natural language route descriptions. Here, we focus on one of the main components of route descriptions: verbal expressions. First, we present a categorization of verbal expressions. Then, we introduce basic concepts we defined and finally we apply them to the representation of verbal expressions. The definition of the basic concepts relies on tools implemented into a system that will generate route descriptions and more generally handle spatial information in a cognitively plausible manner.

Spatial Relations in Multiple Frames of Reference Carola Eschenbach, Christopher Habel & Annette Le_mvllmann University of Hamburg

This paper presents an analysis of German expressions such as 'links unterm Schrank' (left below the cupboard). In this structure, two projective terms (an adverb and a preposition) are combined to give a complex description of a spatial constellation. We argue that there are mainly two strategies for interpreting these combinations, usually resulting in different models. One of them relates both terms to the same frame of reference. The other strategy involves the integration of two independently determinable frames of reference. Therefore, both selection and integration of frames of reference have to be taken into account.

Animacy, Control, and the IN/ON Distinction Michele I. Feist & Dedre Gentner Northwestern University

This paper suggests that an appeal to geometry as an explanation for the differences in applicability of spatial terms in English provides an incomplete account of the use of these terms. Additional criteria that may be considered by speakers as they choose ways to describe scenes are proposed. An experiment is then presented that tests the possibility that these criteria are considered, showing that it is likely that they are. Finally, further tests are proposed to verify that these criteria are in fact being considered, and to help uncouple the criteria examined here.

Mental Rotation within Linguistic and Nonlinguistic Domains in Users of American Sign Language Karen Emmorey The Salk Institute for Biological Sciences

American Sign Language (ASL) uses space itself to encode spatial information. These spatial scenes are most often described from the perspective of the narrator, such that the viewer must perform a 180! mental rotation to correctly comprehend the description. But scenes can also be described, non canonically, from the viewer's perspective, in which case no rotation is required. Is mental rotation during sign language processing difficult for ASL signers? And are there differences between linguistic and non-linguistic mental rotation for ASL signers? Experiment 1 required subjects to decide whether a signed description matched a room presented on videotape. Deaf ASL signers were more accurate when viewing scenes described from the narrator's perspective (even though rotation is required) than from the viewer' s perspective (no rotation required). In Experiment 2, deaf signers and hearing nonsigners viewed videotapes of objects appearing briefly and sequentially on a board marked with an "entrance." This board either matched an identical board in front of the subject or was rotated 180!. Subjects were asked to place objects on their board in the orientation and location shown on the video, making the appropriate rotation when required. All subjects were significantly less accurate when rotation was required, but ASL signers performed significantly better than hearing nonsigners under rotation, replicating previous results. In addition, ASL signers were more accurate in remembering object orientation. It is argued that this is a language-linked effect because orientation is often explicitly marked in ASL spatial descriptions. Signers then viewed a video in which the same scenes *ere signed from the two perspectives (i.e., rotation required or no rotation required). In contrast to their performance with real objects, signers did not show the typical mental rotation effect. The results suggest that the ease of processing canonical scene descriptions counterbalances the general cognitive difficulty of mental rotation. Furthermore, the habitual use of ASL can enhance nonlinguistic cognitive processes thus providing evidence for (a form of) the linguistic relativity hypothesis.

Toward a Theory of Scales Jerry R. Hobbs SRI International, California

It is commonly observed that spatial metaphor pervades natural language discourse. But in general, nothing like the full rich structure of three-dimensional Euclidean space is carried over to the target domain in such metaphors. Rather, only very loose, topological properties are transferred. Moreover, usually in discourse about space itself, nothing like the full rich structure of three-dimensional Euclidean space is involved. Here too, in general, only very loose, topological properties of space are invoked. This suggests that underlying our commonsense theory of space there is a looser, more topological commonsense theory of various abstract structures, and this theory also underlies the commonsense theories of those domains that invite spatial metaphor. Among the most important of these structures is the scale. This paper is the beginning of an attempt to work out an axiomatic theory of scales. Goal-Directed Effects on Processing of a Spatial Environment Indications from Memory and Language Holly A. Taylor & Susan J. Naylor Tufts University When remembering or describing a spatial environment, people take a particular spatial perspective. What influences the spatial perspective used? Previous research has focused primarily on the correspondence between the perspective presented through the learning medium, either a map or navigation, and the perspective used in memory. We find that how spatial information is learned is not the only influence on spatial perspective in memory. Why people are learning the spatial information, i.e. their spatial goal, also influences memory perspective. Effects of spatial goal were seen in both memory and language assessments of spatial perspective. Additionally, memory and language tasks have differential reliance on perspective information. Learning condition and spatial goal had different influences on different tasks. Different analyses of the same task also showed different influences. Present models of spatial perspective do not account for these multiple influences on the representation of spatial perspective.

Reasoning about Shape using the Tangential Axis Tranform (TAT) or the Shape s Grain Geoffrey Edwards Universit Laval, Qu bec

Several related areas of inquiry are concerned with developing qualitative characterisations of shape. Database query and support for natural language processing are two target problems. A general capability to reason about shapes would also be useful in a wide variety of contexts. In this paper, the use of a modified version of the medial axis transform (MAT) is investigated. The MAT is known to have several desirable properties for a general shape descriptor. However, it is also known to be sensitive to small perturbations at the boundary of an arbitrary shape, limiting its general utility. The tangential axis transform (TAT) is introduced to overcome these difficulties. The TAT leads to a definition of the grain of a region within the shape, characterised by a constant orientation. The locus of points which form the skeleton is then reinterpreted as the fracturing of the grain orientation within the shape. The concept of grain orientation leads to the development of a modified version of the traditional skeleton, called here the angular skeleton. The angular skeleton does not exhibit the same kind of sensitivity to boundary deviations than was found in the standard (or radial) skeleton. As a result, it can be used as a general purpose shape quantifier. In addition, the notion of grain allows for a path-based query capability and hence supports spatial reasoning. Finally, the concept of grain and the angular skeleton allow a simple procedure to be defined for trimming the angular skeleton and hence generalizing the shape. It is shown how the latter allows for the characterisation of the spatial content of open class lexical elements such as adjectives and nouns. An empirical and computational investigation into the shape of linguistic spatial categories Laura A. Carlson-Radvansky University of Notre Dame Terry Regier University of Chicago Given one object located relative to another, there is wide agreement among subjects concerning the judged goodness of terms such as 'above' to describe the spatial relation. We propose that such spatial term acceptability judgments depend on two features of the spatial relation: the center-of-mass orientation (the orientation defined by the centers of mass of the two objects), and the proximal orientation (the orientation defined by the two objects where they are closest). We present both experimental and computational evidence in support of this idea. Experimentally, we independently manipulate each of these two features, and gather acceptability judgments for the spatial terms 'above', 'below', 'left', and 'right'. The results suggest contributions of both features. Computationally, we find that a linear model incorporating these features yields a very close fit to our empirically collected data. Taken as a whole, these results support a view of linguistic spatial relations as prototype-centered categories based on the proximal and center-of-mass orientations.

Representing described spatial and temporal situations in memory Nancy Franklin and Todd Federico SUNY Stony Brook

Humans are adept at using language to construct models of complex situations. These representations often reflect inferences beyond the simple language of the text, and depending on the nature of the inferences, this may result not only in quantitative but also qualitative differences in the memory representation. In the work reported here, subjects were given isomorphic descriptions of spatial and temporal situations, along with accompanying preliminary paragraphs that biased them toward the appropriate interpretation. We tested whether characteristics that organize time and space in the real world also affect search of these mental models.

Enabling Spatial Reasoning in Collateral Based Vision using Interval Algebra Rajiv Chopra and Rohini K. Srihari SUNY Buffalo

We present a general technique to enable spatial reasoning in the high level computer vision task of object location. A hypothesis of the scene contents is extracted from collateral information accompanying the image and a domain independent control algorithm employs this in formation to effectively drive the vision process. The knowledge structures that represent the scene hypothesis declaratively are demonstrated with detailed examples. We present an innovative application of interval arithmetic and constraint satisfaction in the implementation of the spatial reasoning component of the control algorithm. An abstract formulation of the control algorithm, in terms of an incremental discrete finite- domain constraint satisfaction problem is described here and illustrated with an example and several experimental results .

Memory for Text and Memory for Space: Two Concurrent Memory Systems? Monika Wagener University of Trier

Understanding and remembering simple descriptions of spatial layouts are investigated. In the first experiment stated sentences, paraphrases and inferences had to be judged. Paraphrases and stated sentences were verified equally fast but could be discriminated in a forced choice recognition test. Information about the surface structure of the text was clearly retained. In the second experiment spatial layouts learned from the same descriptions had to be remembered and mentally transformed by imagining or by performing body movements. When retrieving the original configuration some participants could only report the stated relations but not the inferred. The transformation could be equally applied to all spatial relations. There was a gender effect in the mental transformation task: Women improved their performance with executed body movements whereas men's performance was impaired under this condition compared to the standard mental transformation task. Towards a Computational Semantics of Path Relations Antonio Kr|ger and Wolfgang Maa_ University of Saarbr|cken We present an idea how to provide a computational semantics for path relations like along, through or around. Since the shape of the trajectory of a path relation is bounded by the shapes of the reference objects, an extended notion of geometrical approximations is suggested to take into account detailed shape information. Furthermore we discuss a set of features that are the building blocks of the semantics of path relations. In particular geometric features of several reference objects are evaluated to generate a single integrated reference object. As an example a procedural description of the semantics for along is presented. Estimating Visuospatial Factors Patrick Olivier University of Wales, Aberystwyth Studies from cognitive psychology demonstrate that an adequate treatment of spatial language can only be achieved if a number of considerations as to visuospatial cognition are accounted for. With an explicit view to multimedia presentation design, we briefly assess the nature and significance of four such visuospatial factors: object visibility, object recognizability, environmental reference frames and object clustering. We then introduce the notion of knowledge-persistent rendering, an extension of depth-buffering by which information as to polygon visibility and occlusion is maintained. Lastly, we show how a knowledge-persistent rendering can facilitate the estimation of each the visuospatial factors discussed. A multi-dimensional scaling analysis of English spatial prepositions. Christina Manning, Herbert L. Pick, Jr., and Maria Sera University of Minnesota People are quite successful at finding their way around in the world by following another person's verbal directions. This is interesting and also somewhat surprising given that a verbal description of a space is limited in the information it provides compared to the information provided by the direct perceptual experience of moving around in an environment. Some previous research has looked at the similarity between perceptual representations and linguistic representations of spatial relations (for example: Hayward & Tarr, 1995), but there has been little empirical examination of the structure of spatial language itself. The main linguistic element by which we talk about spatial location in the English language is the closed-class set of terms called prepositions. In the present study the psychological structure of the meaning of 25 English spatial prepositions was examined. The goal was to determine the most salient dimensions of spatial meaning, and where the various prepositions fall along these dimensions. Different groups of participants rated the similarity in meaning of pairs of prepositions under different context conditions. The first conditions was a neutral or no context condition where prepositions were presented alone (for example the words "in" and "on" were presented on a computer screen). Contexts were generated by embedding the prepositions in a carrier sentence containing a figure object and a referent object.

Spatial Reasoning in Verbal Story Visulaization Mukesh P. Singh, Neelkanth Mishra & Amitabha Mukerjee IIT, Kanpur

Spatial reasoning works together with natural language understanding by providing additional semantic constraints in situations involving object placement, motion specification, trajectory planning, gait, gestural emphasis, etc. In turn, the task context embodied in the NLP also helps constrain the spatial reasoner. This paper considers spatial reasoning in the context of a program for generating 3D graphics animation based on an interactive script. Linguistic expression abstracts much spatial detail; e.g. Walk to the hedge and pick up a flower does not specify which hedge, or the trajectory for walk. We assume that constraints are modelled as a continuum where every instance has a different membership value and a "best" instantiation can always be found. Constraints are combined simply by adding the different memberships. Domain knowledge including the object attributes and the behaviour repertoire of the agents is used for constraining possible semantic interpretations of the input text, and also for disambiguating referents, assigning frames of reference, and for adjusting parameters in the spatial models. The animation output is useful on its own for quickly testing animation sequences in a given domain. Results are presented for an urban park setting.

Brain and Self Conference

COGNITIVE APPROACHES TO POETRY AND TRANSLATION

This panel will be sponsored by TransLit, a research network for interdisciplinary studies in cognitive linguistics, literature, and translation. Papers should discuss relevant aspects of poetry in translation from a cognitive perspective. Case studies or specific investigations into the problems of translation are especially welcome. This session will provide an introduction to recent developments in the field of cognitive linguistics and its relationship to literature, literary translation and scholarship.

Note that participants in the sessions MUST be members of the M/MLA by June 25, 1997, in order to be included in the program. Membership materials ($20 per year, $15 for students and retirees) will be included with the conference materials sent upon acceptance of abstracts.

Abstracts by April 15 to Marianne Erickson, 1220 Bellevue Ave., Richmond Heights MO 63117-1747, or to mtcerick@artsci.wustl.edu.

The conference will take place in Chicago from November 6 - 8, 1997, but papers will be due at MLA Headquarters by August 28. This conference is unique in that people attending request copies of the papers prior to the conference, and the entire panel is then dedicated to discussion. I t can be very fruitful. However, my deadline for turning in the names of presenters is April 20, so there is a bit of a rush for submissions.

Marianne Erickson
Comparative Literature & German
Washington University in St. Louis
E-mail: mtcerick@artsci.wustl.edu
http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~mtcerick

I am responsible for finding presentors for the Science and Literature session at this coming November's (1997) Midwest Modern Language Association Conference at Chicago and am hoping that some one on this list might want to give a presentation.

Let me very briefly explain the kind of thing I am looking for. I'd be interested in any discussion that addressed the differences or similarities between science and literature (or the humanities in general). Some questions that arise in relation to this are:

• Is science a unique form of knowledge?
• What knowledge or training is needed for a critique of science or for a comparative discussion?
• Can we use scientific theories metaphorically? Do studies in the humanities have any implications for the reading of science or vice versa?
• How do the professions of science/ and literary studies appear from the outside as opposed to the inside?
• Scientists have demonstrated that scientists in general have been offended by the depiction of science by those in the humanities. Are they right to feel this way?

There are many other possibilities. It also seems to me that cognitive science contains many implications for studies in literature and other disciplines in the humanities and if anyone out there has a point to make about the importance of cognitive science for the broader culture or for interdisciplinary studies it would be a nice contribution to the panel I am trying to arrange for the conference.

I'd like to hear from anyone who thinks they might be interested. Just send me an e-mail with comments or questions and I will get right back to you. The deadline for submitting proposals for this conference is March 29, but send me an indication of your interest before then. Then if we agree to a topic all I will really need is a description of what you would talk about and a title. The M/MLA asks presenters to write a paper to be distributed at the conference and those would need to be done by the end of August.

Gwen Ericson, ericsong@SLU.EDU
English Department
Saint Louis University

CONTENTS

The lectures will encompass recent ideas about the nature of analogy- making as a general cognitive process rather than an exceptional mechanism brought to bear only in unusual circumstances. The ideas of conceptual and situational blending -- a theme of recent years -- will be one important focus, as will the role of analogy and metaphor in the creative process. The computational perspective will also be at the center of the presentations. Depending on the interests of the group of participants, other topics may also be brought into the discussion.

PROGRAM AND ORGANIZATION

An introductory session on Wednesday morning, June 18, will be followed by an informal workshop open to all participants. The purpose of the workshop will be to give participants the opportunity to introduce themselves and present their work to the others.

In the following three days (19-21), there will be two one-hour lectures in the morning and two in the afternoon (one by each lecturer). Each lecture will be followed by ample time for discussion.

A panel discussion may be deemed appropriate, and some impromptu presentations may be organized. The atmosphere should be small and highly informal, encouraging much interpersonal exchange.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Participation will be limited to 30 people. There is no registration fee.

People wishing to participate should submit a short curriculum vitae and a statement of interest to one of the the addresses below. Please include e-mail address and/or fax number, if available. Applications should be received by April 15, 1997. Notification of acceptance will be provided by April 24.

The meeting will take place in the conference room of IRST, Istituto per la Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica, I-38050 Povo, Trento, Italy http://www.itc.irst.it

Povo is located near Trento, in the southeastern Alpine region, and is easily reachable by car or bus (approximately ten minutes from the main train station in Trento). Trento is located between Verona (100 km) and Innsbruck (160 km) and can be reached by car via autostrada A22 or by train. The closest airports are Verona (direct flights from/to London, Rome, Paris), Bologna, Innsbruck, and Munich, all of which are connected directly with Trento by train. There are also good train connections to Milano (250km) via Verona.

APPLICATIONS AND INQUIRIES

Applications and inquiries should be directed to any of the organizers:

Douglas Hofstadter Center for Research in Concepts and Cognition Indiana University 510 North Fess Street Bloomington, IN 47408-3822, U.S.A. Fax: (+812) 855-6966 e-mail: dughof@cogsci.indiana.edu

Oliviero Stock Istituto per la Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica (IRST), I-38050 Povo (TN), Italy Fax: (+39) (461) 314591 e-mail: stock@irst.itc.it

Achille Varzi Department of Philosophy Columbia University 1150 Amsterdam Avenue Philosophy Hall 708, Mail Code 4971 New York, NY 10027, U.S.A. Fax: (+212) 932-3721 e-mail: varzi@columbia.edu

ACCOMMODATION

Participants must make their own hotel reservations as such matters cannot be coordinated by the host institute. A list of hotels is attached below.

For tourist information please contact APT (Azienda Promozione Turismo), via Alfieri 4, 38100 Trento, tel. +309 461 983880. http://patio.cs.unitn.it/apt/

Prices in Italian lire; entries marked + include breakfast. All phone/fax numbers need area code 0461 from inside Italy; +39 461 from abroad.

DOWNTOWN TRENTO Single Double

**** ACCADEMIA 140.000 200.000 Vicolo Colico, 4/6 tel. 233600 fax 230174

*** BUONCONSIGLIO 138.000 190.000 Via Romagnosi, 14/16 tel. 980089 fax 980038

** AMERICA 90.000 120.000 Via Torre Verde, 50 tel. 983010 fax 230603

** AQUILA D'ORO 98.000 (+) 140.000 (+) Via Belenzani, 76 tel./fax 986282

*** EVEREST 80.000 110.000 Corso Alpini, 16 tel. 825300 fax 824527

*** MONACO 90.000 (+) 130.000 (+) Via Torre d'Augusto, 25 tel./fax 983060

** VENEZIA 50.000 75.000 Via Belenzani, 70 tel. 234559 fax 234114

OUTSIDE TRENTO

* GARNI' ESTER 47.000 (+) 70.000 (+) Loc. Sale' di Povo tel./fax 810380 Only hotel in Povo, 5 min. walk from IRST; very limited availability.

*** VILLA MADRUZZO 86.000 134.000 Loc. Cognola di Trento tel. 986220 On the hill across from IRST, 5 minutes by car, 15 minutes on foot; difficult bus connection.

LITERATURE

THE NINTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE

Sponsored by the Department of English and the Graduate Students in English (GSEA) at the University of North Texas. (The deadline for submissions was 15 October 1996.)

7-8 February 1997, Radisson Hotel and Conference Center, Denton, Texas

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:

Mark Turner, University of Maryland and Institute for Advanced Study. Author of The Literary Mind (Oxford, 1996), Reading Minds (1991), and Death is the Mother of Beauty (1987).

George Lakoff, University of California, Berkeley Author of Metaphors We Live By (with Mark Johnson, 1980), Women, Fire and Dangerous Things (1987), and Moral Politics (1996).

SPECIAL FEATURE:

Luncheon address hosted by Haj Ross, with Lakoff and Turner, co-authors of More than Cool Reason (1989).

For more information, please contact:

The Ninth Annual Conference on Linguistics and Literature

University of North Texas

University of North Texas Department of English P. O. Box 13827 Denton, TX 76203 E-mail: LINGLIT@UNT.EDU Fax: 817/565-4355

The International Society for the Study of European Ideas, ISSEI, will hold its 8th International Conference at the University of Haifa, Israel, August 16 to 21, 1998.

At this conference, there will be a workshop entitled *Theatre and Consciousness: The Psychology of Performance*

Some of the questions that might be discussed at the workshop include: What happens in the minds of actors while performing? Do they get involved emotionally? Do they identify with the characters they play? Do/can they experience altered states of consciousness, such as translumination? How do they wind down after a performance? What happens in the minds of spectators while watching a play? Do they identify with the character, or with the actor, or not at all? What is involved in catharsis, and who experiences it, first actor and then spectator, or only the spectator by whatever the actors do on stage? How do Western and non-Western approaches to one or more of these issues differ? What can be gained from an intercultural approach?

1 January 1998 Deadline for 1-page abstracts.

1 February 1998 my response to all those who submitted an abstract

1 June 1998 Deadline for completed papers, maximum 3000 words

50% of all conference papers will be published in the journal of the ISSEI, *The European Legacy*. For further details about ISSEI, see Internet page ISSEI Home Page

Contact: Dr. Daniel Meyer-Dinkgrdfe

Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies

University of Wales Aberystwyth

1 Laura Place, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion SY23 2AU

Wales, UK

Fax ++44 1970 622831 email: dam@aber.ac.uk

For the 1997 Modern Language Association (MLA) Convention, December 27 to 30 in Toronto, Canada, I have proposed a special session on

*Altered States of Consciousness (ASC) in Contemporary Drama*

The session should discuss descriptions and experiences of desirable altered states of consciousness in contemporary drama from the perspective of different models of consciousness. The special session will have 75 minutes, i.e. 3 panellists will present a paper of 20 minutes each, and there will be 15 minutes for discussion.

Calendar of events

1 March 1997 Deadline for 1-page abstracts to me

05 March 1997 I will inform all those who sent an abstract whether their proposal has been accepted

1 April All accepted panellists have to be registered as MLA members

7. April Deadline for my proposal of the special session to the MLA Committee.

end of May I will be informed by the MLA Committee whether the special session has been accepted

June I will inform all panellists of the MLA decision

1 November Deadline for receipt of papers from panellists

Contact: Dr. Daniel Meyer-Dinkgrdfe

Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies

University of Wales Aberystwyth

1 Laura Place, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion SY23 2AU

Wales, UK

Fax ++44 1970 622831 email: dam@aber.ac.uk

From Energy to Information: Representation in Science, Art, and Literature The University of Texas at Austin, April 3-5, 1997

A symposium/workshop co-sponsored by the Center for the Study of Modernism Dept. of Art and Art History, UT) and the Center for Interactive Arts Studies (College of Fine Arts, UT) Co-organized by Linda Dalrymple Henderson, Dept. of Art and Art History, UT, and Bruce Clarke, Dept. of English, Texas Tech University, with Richard Shiff, Director, Center for the Study of Modernism, UT

"Energy to Information" website

To obtain copies of registration materials, e-mail to nrgy2inf@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu or send requests to Energy to Information Symposium, c/o Center for the Study of Modernism, Dept. of Art and Art History, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712-1104 (tel: 512-471-7757).

5 & 6 July 1997

Organised by CAiiA - the Centre for Advanced Inquiry in the Interactive Arts, University of Wales College, Newport, UK.

CONSCIOUSNESS REFRAMED

An international conference to look at new developments in art, science, technology and consciousness.

CONSCIOUSNESS-REFRAMED-L list (Consciousness Reframed Mailing List)

To subscribe - don't write anything in the subject area

send it to: listserv@arts.ucsb.edu in the body of the message, write: subscribe Consciousness-Reframed-L [then your full name]

The term "post-biological" is intended to cover all aspects of life which are mediated, extended or transformed by technology, including, and in the case of this conference, the mind and consciousness. For example, we are interested in the impact of digital technologies, bio technology and artificial life on art, as well as the exploring the value of art in understanding cognitive processes, conceptual modelling and theories of mind. The conference is convened in order to enable ideas from a variety of artistic, scientific and other sources to surface, be exchanged and developed in ways which might further our individual practice and research in both science and art.

Some of the issues addressed by research fellows and students at CAiiA include:

• Mapping & Responsive Visualisation
• Transformation Future Body
• Public - Personal Spaces
• Dream Consciousness & Reality
• Sonic Re-Embodiment/Sonic Disembodiment
• Left Brain Navigation
• Immersive Spaces
• Psychological Architectures & Incorporation Bodies
• The Cybernetics of Architecture
• Cyberception & Paranature

CAiiA Director: Roy Ascott: 100143.100@compuserve.com

Conference Coordinator: Joseph Nechvatal: jnech@imaginet.fr

CAiiA is a Research Centre of the University of Wales College, Newport, based in the Newport School of Art and Design, offering MPhil and PhD research programmes in the Interactive Arts. Fellows and post-graduate students are based onsite or online .

Newport School of Art & Design is located on the Caerleon Campus in a striking new building which has some of the best Art and Design facilities in Europe including studios, laboratories and workshops for Film, Animation, Sound, Installation, Photography, Telemedia, Electronics, Anamatronics, Multimedia

University of Wales College, Newport is easily reached by road from the M4, by Rail or Coach (Newport) or by air (Heathrow and Gatwick Airports 3hrs drive, Cardiff International Airport approx. 20 miles). Caerleon Campus, overlooking the ancient village of Caerleon in the Vale of Usk, is located in some of the most beautiful and unspoilt countryside in Britain, from the Wye Valley in the East to the Black Mountains and Brecon Beacons in the North