Past event
Seminar Series: Collective Behaviour and Intelligence A discussion about key distinctions to make when speaking about collective behaviour/intelligence/representations
The goal of the Collective Behaviour and Intelligence seminar series is to explore the phenomena of collective behaviour and intelligence, the mechanisms underlying them and their consequences, through reading and discussion of classic and current literature. These phenomena are of interest to a wide variety of disciplines and include many different systems at various scales of organisation. To cast a wide net and engage participants from different disciplines, we will review theoretical, modelling and empirical studies on various systems, using animal collective behaviour as a point of departure but also exploring human societies and their collective dynamics, as well as other systems where collective behaviour can be found.
Sessions could include a combination of lectures and discussions of pre-selected readings, coordinated by the various participants. The seminars are free of charge and all are welcome.
Speaker: Malinda Carpenter (School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews)
Title: A discussion about key distinctions to make when speaking about collective behaviour/intelligence/representations
It seems to me that many very different concepts have been conflated under the same term ‘collective behaviour' (or ‘collective intelligence' or ‘collective representations'). In this session, I would like to start a discussion in which we take a step back and consider, in a more theoretical, systematic, top-down way, some key distinctions that could be helpful to make — perhaps coming up with some new terms in the process.
The suggested reading, *Siposova and Carpenter (2019), is a paper that resulted from similar discussions about the related topics of joint attention, common knowledge, and joint action. Different scholars within the same fields, and across different fields (e.g. psychology, philosophy, computer science) often use those terms differently, and that creates confusion and arguably hinders further progress. No need to have read the whole thing (or to read it at all) to participate in the discussion. The most relevant parts are sections 1, 2 (including 2.1-2.5), and 6.2. If it ends up being helpful, we can also talk about the early development of these and related skills in human infants.
Location: Psychology Old Library
Directions: Located in St Mary's Quad, South Street. Access is via the main entrance to the School of Psychology & Neuroscience. Cross the foyer and go up the staircase facing you, then turn right on the top floor.
* https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001002771930