Past Events

Guest lecture of Dr. John Zacharias, Peking University, Beijing

Activating active transport

March 15, 2016

Abstract: With growing concerns about public health in the developed world, policy- makers and planners have shifted to the everyday world of living to promote more active iving styles. Efforts in planning at all urban and architectural scales have paralleled motivational training, incentives and early childhood education. Although the research esults show promise, it remains relatively unclear where efforts would be most effective, or whether some social and physical interventions are effective at all. I would like to  ocus on the physical environment in this talk, drawing on my own and others’ research n support of effective interventions.

Biography: John Zacharias is Chair Professor at the College of Architecture and Landscape, Peking University since 2012. He was Director of the Urban Planning Programme at Concordia University prior to taking up his current position. His research is broadly located in the nterface between environment and behaviour, with specific application in transport, urban planning, urban design and urban aesthetics. His publications can be found in the eading journals in these fields. His most recent book (2015) is entitled The CBD in China (in Chinese).

Guest Lecture by Prof. Dr. Christian Freksa, Professor of Cognitive Systems at the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics, University of Bremen

Strong Spatial Cognition
 

December 10, 2015

Abstract: The ability to perform spatial tasks is crucial for everyday life and of great importance to cognitive agents such as humans, animals, and autonomous robots. Natural embodied and situated agents often solve spatial tasks without detailed knowledge about geometric, topological, or mechanical laws; they directly relate actions to effects enabled by spatio-temporal affordances in their bodies and their environments. Accordingly, we propose a cognitive processing paradigm that makes the spatio-temporal substrate an integral part of the problem-solving engine. We show how spatial and temporal structures in body and environment can support and replace reasoning effort in computational processes: physical manipulation and perception in spatial environments substitute formal computation, in this approach. The strong spatial cognition paradigm employs affordance-based object-level problem solving to complement knowledge-level computation. The paper presents proofs of concept by providing physical spatial solutions to familiar spatial problems for which no equivalent computational solutions are known.  

Guest Lecture by Prof. Dr. Manfred Thüring, TU Berlin, Chair of Cognitive Psychology and Cognitive Ergonomics

Gastvorlesung durch Prof. Dr. Manfred Thüring, TU Berlin, Kognitionspsychologie und Kognitive Ergonomie

Usability-Maßnahmen für kleine und mittelständische Unternehmen – nützlich oder überflüssig?
 

November 26, 2015

Abstract: Während große Konzerne bereits die Wichtigkeit von Maßnahmen erkannt haben, die die Usability (U) von Produkten sichern und zu einem positiven Nutzererleben (UX) beitragen, tun sich die meisten kleineren und mittelständischen Firmen (KMU) noch damit schwer, derartige Maßnahmen zu ergreifen. Welche Barrieren hierfür bestehen, mit welchem Vorgehen man sie überwinden - oder zumindest reduzieren - kann und was ein erfolgreiches UUX-Projekt auszeichnet, hat UseTree, das Berliner Kompetenzzentrum für Usability-Maßnahmen, in den vergangenen drei Jahren erforscht. Hierfür wurden Projekte mit über 30 deutschen KMU durchgeführt, um Produkte zu optimieren und nachhaltigen Wissenstransfer von Methoden und Vorgehensweisen zu leisten. Um dies zu illustrieren, werden ausgewählte Projekte als Beispiele vorgestellt und  die „Lessons Learned“ des Kompetenzzentrums zusammengefasst.

 

Guest Lecture by Anna Rose, Director Space Syntax London

DownloadSpace Syntax and Urban Design (JPEG, 597 KB)vertical_align_bottom

November 5, 2015

 

Research talk by Prof. Dr. Vinod Goel, Visiting Professor ETH Zurich and Professor of Department of Psychology, York University

The reasoning brain
 

October 27, 2015

Abstract:
Logically, deductive reasoning is a closed system and thus a good candidate for a cognitive module. However, neuropsychological research into the neural basis of reasoning has failed to identify a coherent module specifically activated during logical reasoning. Rather, the data point to a fractionated system that is dynamically configured in response to certain task and environmental cues. We have explored four lines of demarcation (Goel, 2007): (a) systems for processing familiar and unfamiliar content; (b) conflict detection/resolution systems; (c) systems for dealing with determinate and indeterminate inferences; and (d) systems for dealing with emotionally laden content. Furthermore, meta-analysis studies indicate that different logical forms (e.g. categorical syllogisms, conditionals, and transitive inferences) also recruit different neural systems. I will review this evidence and discuss the implications for psychological theories of reasoning. 

 

 

Research talk by Dr. Jan M. Wiener, Asscociate Professor in Psychology, Bournemouth University

The effects of typical and atypical ageing on orientation and spatial navigation
 

October 20, 2015

Abstract:
Current Spatial Navigation - the ability to organise behaviour in order to get from one place to another - is based on a complex and dynamic interplay of a large number of different cognitive components and processes. Navigation be longs to the most fundamental human behaviours and its importance for everyday life becomes clear if something goes wrong. While declines in orientation and navigation skills are observed during typical ageing, these declines become severe already during the early stages of Alzheimer's Disease which has devastating effects of people's independence and quality of live.

In this talk I will present a series of experiments that investigate the effects of typical and atypical ageing on orientation and spatial navigation skills. In doing so, I will focus on three questions: First, why are declines in navigation abilities in both typical and atypical ageing more pronounced in unfamiliar environments as compared to familiar environments. Second, would navigation tasks make suitable tools for the early and differential diagnosis of dementia? Finally, how can neuropsychological theories of orientation and avigation inform dementia friendly design guidelines for build environments that compensate for decreasing orientation skills.

 

 

Guest talk by Prof. Yehuda Kalay, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology

Joint event by the Chair of Cognitive Science and the Chair of Information Architecture (Prof. Gerhard Schmitt)

Simulating human behavior in yet un-built environments

 

September 10, 2015  

Abstract:
Current building models, including BIM, support only evaluations based on physical and material characteristics of the building, such as lighting, energy consumption, structural stability, and cost. They do not support evaluation of the impact a building will have on the life and activities of its future users—a key element in determining whether or not the proposed building will meet the needs of its intended users.

The talk will present research that aims to remedy that shortcoming by developing a comprehensive building modeling method, which will allow simulation of human behavior in yet-to-be-built buildings, thus help designers and their clients make better-informed decisions about the product they are designing, and its potential impacts on the people who will use it.

The model relies on the representation of space, actors, and activities information: form includes all spatial aspects of a building (shape, materials, objects), their physical and semantic properties. Actors include data about the people who use the building: their form, attributes (gender, age, etc.), and traits (physical, cultural, cognitive, and professional). Activities include information about the dynamic processes that actors perform in the space.

Simulations based on this method are being developed for hospitals, showing how doctors, nurses, patients, and visitors behave in given physical, social, and cultural environments.

Although the results are still in prototypical form, the model already demonstrates that it is possible to simulate how actual buildings behave, given specific cultural and professional circumstances.Yehuda Kalay has been Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning at the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, since October 2010, and holder of the Henry and Merilyn Taub Academic Chair.

 

Research talk by Dr. Daniel A. Hackman, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholar, University of Wisconsin, USA

Early Experience and Social Disparities: Neurobiological and Psychological Risk Across the Lifespan
 

May 26, 2015

Daniel A. Hackman is postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin. He investigates how early life social and environmental contexts become embedded in the cognitive and affective neural systems underlying the risk for psychopathology and health problems.  His research focuses on the relationship between early socioeconomic status (SES), as well as related family and neighborhood factors, and the development of executive function, stress reactivity, and emotion regulation. 

Abstract:
Socioeconomic disadvantage in early childhood is an important predictor of health and development across the lifespan. What role might psychological and neurobiological development play in generating such social disparities? It has been proposed that disadvantage generates differences in stress reactivity and executive function, and their underlying neural systems, which in turn link early disadvantage and later health. Nevertheless, it remains unknown if early disadvantage has an enduring association with stress reactivity and executive function later in development, and by what mechanisms these effects arise. This talk will present a series of studies addressing these questions
that integrate longitudinal measures of socioeconomic contexts and family environments with neuroendocrinology, neurocognitive assessment, and functional neuroimaging. Overall early disadvantage has an enduring association with stress reactivity and executive function, suggesting they are plausible candidate mechanisms underlying socioeconomic disparities in health.

Research talk by Prof. Dr. Rivka Oxman, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, Technion, Israel

Why Morphogenesis Today?

May 26, 2015

Currently, Rivka is conducting research on theories of digital design and exploring the
contribution of digital technologies to novel paradigms in design and architecture. Among
recent specific research topics, she is investigating the impact of material-based fabrication
technologies on novel models of design tectonics.

Abstract: Concepts of Morphogenetic processes in nature are introduced, defined and developed as computational processes of performance-based generative in architectural design. The concept of morphogenesis is also employed as a medium of research-based education in architectural design. The lecture discusses the role of the experimental studio in design education. 

Research talk by Dr. Seth Frey, Disney Research Zurich

Strategic information encryption among poker experts: How to exploit without becoming exploitable

Authors: Seth Frey, Disney Research Zurich; Paul L. Williams, Indiana University and Dominic K. Albino, University of Connecticut

April 28, 2015

Seth Frey is postdoctoral researcher at Disney Research in Zurich, advancing behavioral economics and computational social science at the Walt Disney Company. Disney research Zurich is also affiliated with ETH, where Seth is a lecturer at the department of social and political sciences. His research focus on higher-level reasoning and social cognition to improve the design and analysis of complex decision environments.

Abstract:
In high-stakes competitive environments, success is not just about playing your cards right, but also playing your opponents right.

Experts in such domains must extract information from others without revealing too much themselves. But greater influence of an opponent’s behavior on one’s own means more statistical coherence with it. How do strategic game experts stay unpredictable without decoupling themselves from the valuable information revealed by others? Using a very large online poker dataset, we show that poker experts pull their informational advantage not from their own cards, and not from their opponent's signals, but specifically from how those two information sources interact. Experts create new information by integrating public and private sources. Consequently, their behavior is encrypted: an opponent cannot reverse engineer the effects that their signals had on an expert without access to the "private key" information in that expert's cards. Expert strategic reasoning involves information encryption.

Research talk by Prof. Dr. Thomas Bernauer, Center for Comparative and International Studies, ETH

How robust is public support for unilateral climate policy?

April 14, 2015  

Prof. Dr. Thomas Bernauer is a ETH professor of political science. His research group is based at the Center for Comparative and International Studies, a joint institution of ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich, and at ETH Zurich’s Institute for Environmental Decisions. His research focuses on how environmental, economic, and security problems that extend beyond national borders can or could be solved.

Abstract:
Most governments emphasize the need for reciprocal (“give and take”) international commitments in global climate policy. Nonetheless, existing public opinion polls indicate strong support by individual citizens for unilateral climate policies as well. This raises the question of whether governments could, without risking electoral punishment, afford to pursue more ambitious unilateral climate policies, or whether surveys may have overestimated support for unilateralism due to measurement problems. Based on conjoint and framing experiments embedded in representative surveys in the world’s two largest democracies, India and the United States, we engage in a critical re-assessment of earlier survey results. We find robust public support for unilateral climate policy in both countries. Such support declines with increasing costs and increases with growing co-benefits and problem solving effectiveness. We also find, however, that policy conditionality and possible institutional design mechanisms against free-riding by other states (which make the policy “less unilateral” by providing for reciprocation) play no significant role when citizens form their preferences with respect to climate policy. Neither is public support affected by whether policies focus on adaptation (which limits benefits to the investing country) or mitigation (which benefits all countries globally). Overall, these findings suggest that, in view of very slow progress in global climate policy, governments of rich and poor countries could politically afford to push ahead with ambitious unilateral climate policies.

Research talk by Dr. Karin Kucian, Center for MR-Research at University Children's Hospital Zurich

The numerical brain

March 10, 2015

Karin Kucian is a neurobiologist with various research interests such as Developmental dyscalculia, Number processing: Development of numbers in children, Training Interventions, Development plasticity and Mental rotation.

Abstract: Numerical skills are essential in our everyday life and impairments in the development of number processing and calculation have a negative impact on schooling and professional careers. Approximately 3 to 6% of children are affected from specific disorders of numerical understanding (developmental dyscalculia (DD)). Findings from neuropsychology and brain imaging provide evidence that disturbed development of number representations in these children is reflected in deviating brain function and structure. Finally, interdisciplinary perspectives from psychology, neuroscience, and education can contribute to the design for interventions and although results are still sparse they are promising and have shown positive effects on behaviour as well as brain function.

In the current talk, I will provide a state-of-the-art overview about typical and atypical development of numerical abilities on behavioural and neuronal level.

Research talk by Professor Dr. Andrew Duchowski, Clemson University, School of Computing, S.C. USA

Current Eye Tracking Research @ Clemson: Massive-Scale Gaze Analytics and Eye Movement Simulation

October 20, 2014

Abstract:
In this talk I will go over two projects we are currently engaged in at Clemson. The first deals with parallelization of gaze analytics where computation is conducted on the Palmetto High Performance Computing cluster. The second deals with eye movement simulation. The goal of the latter is to eventually generate gaze data ground truth with which to validate different filtering approaches.

Research talk by Professor Gabriela Goldschmidt, Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, Technion, Israel

Patterns of design thinking: linking moves, shifting arguments

October 13, 2014

Design thinking and reasoning are studied as cognitive processes, aimed at revealing specific patterns of thinking employed in designing. This presentation proposes analyses that lead to the elucidation of two important patterns in effective design thinking.
The first of these is the pattern of links among moves – design production segments. Linkography demonstrates that to reach good and creative results designers’ thinking follows a pattern of interlinked moves both forwards and backwards. That is, designers make moves in which new ideas are proposed, and also moves in which they test and evaluate ideas and relate them to what had already been done, to ensure resilience and continuity towards arrival at a satisfactory synthesis.
The second pattern is one of frequent shifts between arguments of embodiment and rationale during synthesis building at the front edge of designing. When designing a new tangible artifact, designers must embody its elements, or describe its physical properties. At the same time they also have to justify their choices by providing a rationale for those properties. Embodiment and rationale arguments are shown to succeed each other with frequent shifts in the course of designing.
It is believed that exposing patterns of design thinking is invaluable in building design support tools, especially computational tools, and understanding these patterns should also make it possible to devise more effective design education.

Public Lecture by Assistant Professor Dafna Fisher-Gewirtzman, Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, Technion, Israel

3D visibility analysis representing human perception of space

October 8, 2014

Abstract: Representing the human perception in space with analytical tools may be an unattainable challenge. Nevertheless, recognizing the complex influencing variables may lead to such a tool, supporting the development of future smart sustainable built environments. In her presentation, Dafna will describe assessment of 3D visual analysis models with human response. The talk will introduce studies regarding the relative impact of variant components of a view and the impact of alternative interior arrangements on the perceived density. The second part of the talk will introduce the Technion VisLab as a research environment for design and reflect on the “hybrid design process” integrating “traditional studio” with the VisLab as a working environment.

Research talk by Steven M. Weisberg PhD candidate in Psychology, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Temple University, Philadelphia

Navigation is a multifarious activity. Effective navigation depends upon both strategy choice and sets of cognitive abilities, resulting in rich individual differences.

September 22, 2014

Navigation is a multifarious activity. Effective navigation depends upon both strategy choice and sets of cognitive abilities, resulting in rich individual differences.

This talk will describe and explain individual differences observed in a virtual environment measure of navigation ability. Data from the environment show a range of navigation accuracy, which relates to individual differences in cognitive abilities (spatial abilities, working memory, and general IQ) and navigation strategy (i.e., response learning versus place learning).

Public Lecture by Prof. Dr. Nora Newcombe, Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia

Gender, spatial cogniton and STEM learning

September 9, 2014

Nora Newcombe is a distinguished professor at her university, and she is a leading researcher on spatial cognition. Whether gender differences in this area can explain part of the underrepresentation of women in STEM-areas (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) will be the focus of her talk.

Research plan presentations

"How the design of a building and its maps influences users’ experiences during navigation" by PhD candidate Verena Schnitzler

"Crowd navigation" by PhD candidate Iva Barisic

May 20, 2014

Guest talk Dr. Thomas F. Shipley, Associate Professor Temple University, Department of Psychology; Spatial Intelligence and Learning Center (SILC)

Developing our understanding of spatial and temporal reasoning in STEM education: A cycle of learning.

May 13, 2014

Dr Shipley’s research broadly focuses on spatial cognition and learning. He applies formal methods from his previous research on object and event perception to understand the perceptual and cognitive processes subserving navigation and visualization. His recent work on perception and learning in spatial visualization is part of a project that aims to support undergraduate geology education with a longer term goal of understanding the cognitive processes that are critical for spatial reasoning and thus support STEM education in general for both K-12 and undergraduate students.

Workshop by Dr. Thora Tenbrink, Senior Lecturer in Cognitive Linguistics, Bangor University (Wales, UK)

How To Analyse Language to Access Cognitive Processes

May 05 - Thursday, May 08, 2015

This short seminar will show how verbal reports (such as think-aloud protocols) and scene descriptions can be used to find out about what goes on in people's minds, and how they think about the world. After considering what kinds of cognitive processes can be accessed through language, we will examine each step of a research process that involves verbalization of thought - from data collection via transcription to analysis and (possibly) triangulation with other kinds of data. The main emphasis will lie on the systematic analysis of linguistic choices, aiming to identify indicators for specific cognitive phenomena that are of interest for the research purpose at hand.

Guest talk Dr. Hugo Spiers Lecturer in Experimental Psychology at University College London

Navigation systems in the brain

April 29, 2014

To navigate to a distant location we need to know how far to travel and in what direction.
Recent research reveals a dynamic navigation system that changes how it represents distance and direction during different stages of navigation.
Results from functional magnetic resonance imaging studies and and rodent electrophysiology will be presented. This evidence pinpoints the hippocampus and entorhinal cortices as key areas for the computation of the distance and direction to future goals.

Mini-workshop in GESS/ARCH seminar “Cognition in Architecture” Prof. Dr. Ruth Conroy Dalton Professor of Building Usability and Visualisation, Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK

Space Syntax & Wayfinding Case Study: Seattle Public Library

April 16, 2014

The first part of this session will provide a brief introduction to the ideas and principles behind space syntax, including theories, tools and methods. The main part of the session will be looking at a case study of its application to a real world setting (Seattle Central Public Library, Rem Koolhaas). By the end of this talk, attendees should be able have a good overview of how to start using space syntax tools to investigate human movement behavior, especially with respect to indoor settings.

Research talk in Behavior Science Colloquium Prof. Dr. Ruth Conroy Dalton Professor of Building Usability and Visualisation, Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK

Wayfinding as a Social Activity

April 15, 2014

This talk with start by outlining some of the paradigms, assumptions and limitations of current research into wayfinding. It will then discuss two aspects of social wayfinding: first, how the presence of people in an environment can provide valuable wayfinding cues and, second, the role of collaborative decision making amongst pedestrian-groups. The talk will conclude with an agenda for future research.

Guest lecture by Sandra Budde, PhD Student in Cognitive Systems Research group at University Bremen

Affective states in problem solving: the role of feedback, individual performance and motivation.

March 31, 2014

Human problem solving is accompanied by a sequence of affective states which can be analyzed through physiological response patterns. How do individual differences like task performance or achievement orientation influence these affective states? Tackling these issues is complex as methodological issues hinder to reliably measure and analyze affective physiological states during a multi-step problem solving process.

In my talk I will present a novel methodological approach that fills this gap utilizing a modified version of performing a Mastermind task. The original task represents a step by step breaking of a hidden code and receiving feedback for the individual progress at each step. In the modified game variant feedback can be controlled so that participants receive the very same feedback patterns, not violating the soundness of the individual problem solving process. By this, individual progress is manipulated which allows to preselect feedback sequences depending on their implied valence.

Based on this, I present the results of an experimental study during which affective physiological responses have been analyzed with respect to valence of the feedback, participants' individual performance and motivation.