Thursday Morning Talk

Daniela Vallentin (MPI for Biological Intelligence), “Neural mechanisms of vocal learning and production in songbirds”

MAR 2.057

Daniela Vallentin is a neuroscientist and currently the Lise Meitner Reseach Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, heading the 'Neural Circuits for Vocal Communication' Group whose objective is to explore the neural circuits driving skilled motor learning and orchestrating the coordination of precise movements by working with songbirds. Due to the

Thursday Morning Talk

Aravind Battaje and Vito Mengers, “Principles at Play: What is Intelligence?”

MAR 2.057

What is intelligence? We delve into the collaborative efforts at SCIoI, where we aim to understand intelligence through the identification of commonalities. Inspired by ongoing research and historical parallels, we present candidate principles, inviting the audience to contribute insights and discuss their alignment with ongoing projects. This talk marks a step towards refining our understanding

Thursday Morning Talk

Asieh Daneshi (Science of Intelligence), “Behavioral contagion in human and artificial multi-agent systems”

In this talk, Asieh will explore the dynamics of decision-making and risk-taking within social contexts and how everyday decisions, often laden with potential negative outcomes, are influenced not only by individual judgment but significantly by the surrounding social environment. Her research employs the "Balloon Analogue Risk-Taking" experiment in a controlled setting applying VR-technology in order

Thursday Morning Talk

Oren Forkosh (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem), “Behavior, Personality, and Affective States of Freely Behaving Groups of Mice and Other Animals”

Behavior, Personality, and Affective States of Freely Behaving Groups of Mice and Other Animals In recent years, the study of animal behavior in neuroscience has seen a significant shift towards more naturalistic and less intrusive methods. It is under these conditions that the true spectrum of animal behavior can be exhibited, free from the artificial

Thursday Morning Talk

Tim Kietzmann (University of Osnabrück), “Large language models offer a rich representational format for understanding the transformation of visual information in the human brain.”

Abstract: Originating from the connectionist movement of cognitive science, deep neural networks (DNNs) have had tremendous influence on artificial intelligence, operating at the core of today’s most powerful applications. At the same time, cognitive computational neuroscientists have recognised their promise to act as “Goldilocks” models of brain function: DNNs are grounded in sensory data, can

Thursday Morning Talk

Christian Poth (Bielefeld University), “Task-driven phasic alertness: How being ready for action relies on the current task”

Abstract: Humans often must respond quickly to events happening in their environment. To support fast perception and action, the brain has evolved a warning system. Warning stimuli are used to elicit a transient state of readiness for perception and action (phasic alertness) that results in faster perceptual processing and faster decision-making for action. Phasic alertenss

Thursday Morning Talk

Fariba Karimi (Graz University of Technology), “Complexity Science for Societal Good”

MAR 2.057

Abstract: Social inequalities -- structured and recurrent patterns of unequal distribution of wealth, opportunities, and rewards -- are on the rise, and quick-fix, top-down approaches are failing. Structural inequality is one of the important manifestations of social inequalities in which institutions, policies, and societies create systems of privilege that are structural barriers to equality and