Computational mechanics, an approach to structural complexity, defines a process’s causal states and gives a procedure for finding them. We show that the causal-state representation—an E-machine—is the minimal one consistent with

Examination of the systemic properties and forms of interaction that characterize classification and categorization reveals fundamental syntactic differences between the structure of classification systems and the structure of categorization systems. These distinctions lead to meaningful differences in the contexts within which information can be apprehended and influence the semantic information available to the individual. Structural and semantic differences between classification and categorization are differences that make a difference in the information environment by influencing the functional activities of an information system and by contributing to its constitution as an information environment.

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This work reports the results of an enquiry on the concept of relevance and on relevance judgments carried out during the MIRA workshops activities in 1998/1999. Starting from a previous proposal [23], we present the multidimensional relevance space, a framework for describing the various kinds of relevance, which has been negotiated with experts belonging to the MIRA community. The relevance dimensions of information needs, information resources, and information use context are presented, and a three dimensional graphical representation of the framework is proposed. The differences between the original framework and the revised one, and the advantages of the latter, are discussed. Some implications of the framework for the design and evaluation of information access systems and their user interfaces are also derived and, finally, an exploratory study on the issue of agreement in relevance judgments, and its consequences for the design of multimedia test collections, are presented.

Abstract: Predicative thinking is thinking in terms of relations and judgments; functional thinking is thinking in terms of available actions and achievable effects. Depending on the way of thinking the orientation in the world, the type of sources for getting insight are not the same. E.g. it should be visible in different eye movements. In addition to our qualitative experiments, recently we started to run a study based on EEG-methods while students were solving logical pattern fitting tasks. The EEG complexity during predicative thinking decreased in comparison to functional thinking and mental relaxation, with this reduction being most pronounced over the parietal and right cortex. A reduction in dimensional complexity during functional thinking which was concentrated over the left central cortex, although significant, was less clear.

h and education were organised then. He looked around at his students, who had settled down comfortably in the afternoon sun, which was already beginning to fade. 1 Observation and Participation "You already know that the twentieth century was in many areas a turning point leading to the society we now live in," he said. "You will remember how the participatory evolution that started then made concrete many old humanist ideas, which had already repeatedly been expressed in earlier times, in the form of movements that are now fully active. We have often talked about this in previous gatherings. It is impossible to consider the changes in forms of education and research independently from this overall transformation, and for that reason I would like to talk to you about it in that context." Ernest asked, "Was twentieth-century education and research still largely dominated by the `observational' paradigm, about which we have spoken so many times?" "One might put it like that," replie

We posit that, given the current state of development of cognitive science, the greatest synergies between this field and artificial intelligence arise when one adopts a high level of abstraction. On the one hand, we suggest, cognitive science embodies some interesting, potentially general principles regarding cognition under limited resources, and AI systems that violate these principles should be treated with skepticism. But on the other hand, attempts to precisely emulate human cognition in silicon are hampered by both their ineffectiveness at exploiting the power of digital computers, and the current paucity of algorithm-level knowledge as to how human cognition takes place. We advocate a focus on artificial general intelligence design. This

ABSTRACT This article seeks to interrogate conceptions of cognition and knowledge, explicit and implicit, that underpin conventional projects of educational research. Developed around our own efforts to make sense of the contingent and complex nature of a recent action research project, the discussion develops an enactivist account of cognition that is offered as an alternative both to subject-centred orientations (e.g. representationism and constructivism) and culture-privileging accounts (e.g. critical and sociocultural theories). The relevance of enactivism for educational action research – conceived as a site for learning, and hence tranformative of both individual and collective – is examined in terms of the practical and moral dimensions of the activity. As part of an action research project inquiring into the teaching of literature and mathematics in a small urban elementary school, we met with a group of teachers one day after school to discuss our responses to Lois Lowry’s (1993) novel The Giver. We had been meeting with these teachers for several months and were excited about the possibilities of including this Newbery Medal winning novel for ‘best adolescent fiction ’ into our work with teachers and students in this school. A science fiction story centering around the experiences of a young boy who lives in a futuristic world, where all cultural memories are ‘stored ’ in one person designated the ‘receiver of memories,’ this book had captured the interest and attention of many adults and children across North America. We were thus surprised when Jean, the school principal, announced that “Some of the subject matter is just too controversial for the book to be included in this community. ” She was referring to the book’s rather frank depictions of infanticide and euthanasia, as well as its allusions to the sexual awakening of adolescent characters. The other teachers quickly agreed:

When I learned that my father had died while I was attending a national communication conference, two worlds within me-the academic and the personal-collided, and I was forced to confront the large gulf that divided them. In this article, I weave the story of that experience into the wider fabric of disconnections that promotes isolation and inhibits risk taking and change within universities and academic disciplines. In the process, I question whether the structures of power constitutive of academic socialization are not as difficult to resist as those of one's family, and the consequences as constraining. I use personal narrative to show how storytelling works to build a continuous life of experience, linking the past to the future from-the standpoint of the present; to problematize the process of assigning meanings to memories via language; to draw attention to the significance of institutional depression in universities; and to blur the line between theory and story. I could not fall asleep. I tossed and turned in my bed, trying to ignore the anxiety churning through my stomach. Sometimes I have trouble sleeping when I'm away from home or when I'm apprehensive about a presentation. But this was different. It wasn't the hotel room or the upcoming convention that was keeping me awake. Something felt terribly wrong, but I didn't know what it was. Finally, at about 7:15 a.m., I got out of bed and headed for the shower. I don't recall how long I had been standing under the water when I heard the phone ring. A few seconds later, my roommate, Herb Simons, called me. "Art, it's your secretary, Sharon. She wants to speak to you. She says it's very important." My secretary would not call me at a conference unless the roof was caving in. I knew instantly that her call was personal not departmental. Grabbing a towel, I hurried to the phone, my heart beating rapidly, my mind sorting possibilities. Author's Note: I thank Carolyn Ellis for her keen and supportive criticism and Norman K. Denzin for his heartening encouragement.