October 2004 Cognitive Neuroscience of Learning Conference

该提案支持将于2004年10月10日和11日在纽约市举行的第三届类别学习认知神经科学年度研讨会。25年来，范畴学习研究一直是认知心理学的中心范式。由于多种原因，认知神经学家最近被这种范式所吸引。首先，已有大量关于类别学习的经验和理论分析。对大脑受损人群的神经心理学研究和健康受试者的神经成像为类别学习的认知神经科学提供了初步的见解。第二，范畴学习既具有初级联想学习的特点，又具有高阶认知的特点。正是这种双重性质--部分是初级技能，部分是高级认知--使类别学习成为在行为和神经分析层面上研究人类学习的基本和重要方面的一个有价值的范例。推动类别学习的研究将对社会产生许多广泛的影响，包括(1)加强跨学科和机构间的合作，(2)增加研究的国际联系和传播，(3)扩大对妇女和代表性不足的少数群体的科学和培训的参与，以及(4)通过参加会议、会议网站和免费分发所有演讲者幻灯片的会议计划来广泛传播计划内容。通过提供资金以纳入更多的研究生和博士后研究员，这项提议将通过增加会议将讨论的想法的广度和深度，进一步提高研讨会的学术价值。

This proposal supports Third Annual Workshop on the Cognitive Neuroscience of Category Learning, to be held October 10th and 11th, 2004, in New York City. The study of category learning has been a central paradigm within cognitive psychology for over twenty-five years. For a number of reasons, cognitive neuroscientists have recently been drawn to this paradigm. First, there is a large body of pre-existing empirical and theoretical analyses of category learning. Neuropsychological studies of brain-damaged populations and neuroimaging of healthy subjects have provided preliminary insights into the cognitive neuroscience of category learning. Second, category learning has aspects of both elementary associative learning as well as higher order cognition. It is this dual nature-part elementary skill, part higher cognition-which makes category learning a valuable paradigm for studying fundamental and important aspects of human learning, at both the behavioral and neural levels of analysis. Advancing research in category learning will have many broad impacts on society including (1) enhanced interdisciplinary and inter-institutional collaborations, (2) increased international contacts and dissemination of research, (3) expanded participation in science and training for women and under-represented minorities, and (4) broad dissemination of program content via meeting participation, meeting website, and free distribution of conference program with all speaker's slides. By providing funds to include more graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, this proposal stands to enhance the workshop's intellectual merit still further by increasing the breadth and depth of ideas that will be discussed at the meeting.