Title: Seminar: Particle-Flow Networks for Individual and Col
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You are hereby invited to our eleventh "Evolution, Complexity and Cognition (ECCO)" seminar of 2005:



Particle-Flow Networks for Individual and Collective Intelligence
 
by

Marko Rodriguez
(UC Santa Cruz & ECCO, VUB)

Francis Heylighen
(ECCO, VUB)

Daniel Steinbock
(Stanford University)


Place: room 3C204 (building C, 3rd floor), VUB campus Oefenplein
Time: Friday, April 22, at 17:30 h.


Abstract:

This seminar proposes a new paradigm for simulating  and supporting cognitive processes, at the individual or social level. The idea is that knowledge is distributed over a network of nodes (representing concepts or individuals), connected by weighted links. This network is explored by a swarm of "particles" that carry "energy" from node to node, with the probability of a particle following a link proportional to the strength of that link. This can be seen as a discrete version of spreading activation, or a parallel version of a random walk through the network.

The network solves problems by seeding a number of initial nodes with particles, letting the particles propagate, and then checking which of the potential "solution" nodes accumulate most energy.  For groups, particle flows can be used to determine an individual's degree or expertise or authority within the social network, and thus support the targeted dissemination of information for collective problem-solving. We will illustrate both individual and collective intelligence applications with three computer demonstrations:
1) a free-association word network that solves simple verbal IQ tests;
2) delegation of voting powers for future electronic democracies;
3) automatic support for collective peer-review in digital-library e-print servers.


More info:
Rodriguez, M., Steinbock, D., "A Social Network for Societal-Scale Decision-Making Systems", Proc. North American Association for Computational Social and Organizational Science Conference, 2004
Rodriguez, M.A., The Convergence of Digital Library Technology and the Peer-Review Process. (ECCO working paper 2005-04)



ECCO seminar programme coming weeks

29 Apr: Mixel Kiemen: The primacy of context: bootstrapping from intuitive ideas
06 May: Julien Libbrecht: Application of cybernetic principles to the organization of health care
13 May: Johan Bollen: Self-organization of Document Networks


ECCO seminars normally take place each Friday at 17h30 in room 3C204 of the VUB Campus Etterbeek. Everyone interested is welcome. The seminars are very interactive, with small groups (about 8-10 people). The intention is to discuss in depth the research being proposed, and to look for interdisciplinary connections with other ECCO-related themes. Seminars last about two hours, after which the remaining participants go to take a drink or a snack in the Opinio Caf� on the campus, to continue the discussion in a more relaxed setting.
--

Francis Heylighen     
Evolution, Complexity and Cognition group
Free University of Brussels
http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/HEYL.html

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