Andreas K. Engel

Jianwei Zhang

Stefan Wermter

Xiaolan Fu

Changshui Zhang

Fuchun Sun

Brigitte Röder

Gui Xue

The purpose of this Research Topic is to reflect and discuss links between neuroscience, psychology, computer science and robotics with regards to the topic of cross-modal learning which has, in recent years, emerged as a new area of interdisciplinary research. The term cross-modal learning refers to the synergistic synthesis of information from multiple sensory modalities such that the learning that occurs within any individual sensory modality can be enhanced with information from one or more other modalities. Cross-modal learning is a crucial component of adaptive behavior in a continuously changing world, and examples are ubiquitous, such as: learning to grasp and manipulate objects; learning to walk; learning to read and write; learning to understand language and its referents; etc. In all these examples, visual, auditory, somatosensory or other modalities have to be integrated, and learning must be cross-modal. In fact, the broad range of acquired human skills are cross-modal, and many of the most advanced human capabilities, such as those involved in social cognition, require learning from the richest combinations of cross-modal information. In contrast, even the very best systems in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics have taken only tiny steps in this direction. Building a system that composes a global perspective from multiple distinct sources, types of data, and sensory modalities is a grand challenge of AI, yet it is specific enough that it can be studied quite rigorously and in such detail that the prospect for deep insights into these mechanisms is quite plausible in the near term. Cross-modal learning is a broad, interdisciplinary topic that has not yet coalesced into a single, unified field. Instead, there are many separate fields, each tackling the concerns of cross-modal learning from its own perspective, with currently little overlap. We anticipate an accelerating trend towards integration of these areas and we intend to contribute to that integration. By focusing on cross-modal learning, the proposed Research Topic can bring together recent progress in artificial intelligence, robotics, psychology and neuroscience.

Cross-Modal Learning: Adaptivity, Prediction and Interaction

Danica Kragic

Karl J. Friston

Experts from a range of disciplines assess the foundations and implications of a novel action-oriented view of cognition. Cognitive science is experiencing a pragmatic turn away from the traditional representation-centered framework toward a view that focuses on understanding cognition as “enactive.” This enactive view holds that cognition does not produce models of the world but rather subserves action as it is grounded in sensorimotor skills. In this volume, experts from cognitive science, neuroscience, psychology, robotics, and philosophy of mind assess the foundations and implications of a novel action-oriented view of cognition. Their contributions and supporting experimental evidence show that an enactive approach to cognitive science enables strong conceptual advances, and the chapters explore key concepts for this new model of cognition. The contributors discuss the implications of an enactive approach for cognitive development; action-oriented models of cognitive processing; action-oriented understandings of consciousness and experience; and the accompanying paradigm shifts in the fields of philosophy, brain science, robotics, and psychology. Contributors Moshe Bar, Lawrence W. Barsalov, Olaf Blanke, Jeannette Bohg, Martin V. Butz, Peter F. Dominey, Andreas K. Engel, Judith M. Ford, Karl J. Friston, Chris D. Frith, Shaun Gallagher, Antonia Hamilton, Tobias Heed, Cecilia Heyes, Elisabeth Hill, Matej Hoffmann, Jakob Hohwy, Bernhard Hommel, Atsushi Iriki, Pierre Jacob, Henrik Jörntell, Jürgen Jost, James Kilner, Günther Knoblich, Peter König, Danica Kragic, Miriam Kyselo, Alexander Maye, Marek McGann, Richard Menary, Thomas Metzinger, Ezequiel Morsella, Saskia Nagel, Kevin J. O'Regan, Pierre-Yves Oudeyer, Giovanni Pezzulo, Tony J. Prescott, Wolfgang Prinz, Friedemann Pulvermüller, Robert Rupert, Marti Sanchez-Fibla, Andrew Schwartz, Anil K. Seth, Vicky Southgate, Antonella Tramacere, John K. Tsotsos, Paul F. M. J. Verschure, Gabriella Vigliocco, Gottfried Vosgerau

Toward Action-Oriented Views in Cognitive Science

The Pragmatic Turn

Peter König

Paul F. M. J. Verschure

Daniel Polani

Alfred Oliver Effenberg

Sensorimotor Foundations of Social Cognition

Cognitive science is experiencing a pragmatic turn away from the traditional representation-centered framework toward a view that focuses on understanding cognition as "enactive." This enactive view holds that cognition does not produce models of the world but rather subserves action as it is grounded in sensorimotor skills. In this volume, experts from cognitive science, neuroscience, psychology, robotics, and philosophy of mind assess the foundations and implications of a novel action-oriented view of cognition. Their contributions and supporting experimental evidence show that an enactive approach to cognitive science enables strong conceptual advances, and the chapters explore key concepts for this new model of cognition. The contributors discuss the implications of an enactive approach for cognitive development; action-oriented models of cognitive processing; action-oriented understandings of consciousness and experience; and the accompanying paradigm shifts in the fields of philosophy, brain science, robotics, and psychology. ContributorsMoshe Bar, Lawrence W. Barsalov, Olaf Blanke, Jeannette Bohg, Martin V. Butz, Peter F. Dominey, Andreas K. Engel, Judith M. Ford, Karl J. Friston, Chris D. Frith, Shaun Gallagher, Antonia Hamilton, Tobias Heed, Cecilia Heyes, Elisabeth Hill, Matej Hoffmann, Jakob Hohwy, Bernhard Hommel, Atsushi Iriki, Pierre Jacob, Henrik Jörntell, Jürgen Jost, James Kilner, Günther Knoblich, Peter König, Danica Kragic, Miriam Kyselo, Alexander Maye, Marek McGann, Richard Menary, Thomas Metzinger, Ezequiel Morsella, Saskia Nagel, Kevin J. O'Regan, Pierre-Yves Oudeyer, Giovanni Pezzulo, Tony J. Prescott, Wolfgang Prinz, Friedemann Pulvermüller, Robert Rupert, Marti Sanchez-Fibla, Andrew Schwartz, Anil K. Seth, Vicky Southgate, Antonella Tramacere, John K. Tsotsos, Paul F. M. J. Verschure, Gabriella Vigliocco, Gottfried Vosgerau

Andreas K. Engel

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