1st Semester 2008/09: Interacting agents processing information
- Instructors
- Cédric Dégremont, Nina Gierasimczuk, Lena Kurzen, Jakub Szymanik
If you are interested in this project, please contact the organizers by e-mail.
http://staff.science.uva.nl/~cdegremo/P9/Site/CogInt.html
- ECTS
- 6
- Description
- We will have a look at formal models describing dynamics in agents' epistemic states: strategizing in various games, learning, and revision of belief by new information.
We are interested in computational complexity, game theory, learning theory and dynamic logics of epistemic and doxastic change. In particular, we will focus on links within the above-mentioned domain, e.g., learning theory in its interrelation with dynamic epistemic logic and game theory. Our perspective is to a large extent a mixture of computational complexity theory and cognitive science: we assume that agents are bounded in their computational powers and ask how difficult epistemic processes are from an agent's internal perspective. In other words, we search for a procedural angle which will help to better understand cognitive aspects of these theories. There are several possible outputs of such an endeavor, e.g., we can merge logical frameworks, evaluate and revise existing theories according to their tractability, or plan empirical experiments confronting theories with cognitive reality. We invite all interested MoL students to join us in this project.
- Organisation
- In the first week of the course, we will introduce relevant topics in game theory, learning theory, Dynamic Epistemic Logic and related formal models, computational complexity theory and possible links among them. We present all of them in cognitive perspective. Next, students will choose two papers from the suggested literature - each from a different thematic group - and present them to their colleagues. Here, the focus lies on possible bridges between topics. Then, on the basis of discussed literature, students will prepare their own projects fitting into the general aim of the course. Example would be to join two different frameworks, introduce an internal complexity perspective to one of the discussed models, prepare a set up for cognitive experiments evaluating the plausibility of a formal model, etc. In the third week, every student will present his/her research project and we will discuss it. Then students are supposed to write a short paper based on their research project and submit it by February 1.
- Assessment
- Grading on the basis of presentations and final written proposal. Students can work in groups as long as the division of labor is clear.
- References
- Background handbooks:
- van Ditmarsch, H., van der Hoek, W., Kooi, B.: Dynamic Epistemic Logic. Springer (2007)
- Jain, S., Osherson, D., Royer, J.S., Sharma, A.: Systems that Learn. MIT Press, Chicago (1999)
- Osborne, M. J., Rubinstein, A.: A Course in Game Theory. MIT Press (1994)
- Papadimitriou, C. H.: Computation Complexity. Addison-Welsey (1994)