{"689494":{"#nid":"689494","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Computational Cognition Conference Showcases Georgia Tech\u0027s Advancements in Research Related to the Mind  ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EArtificial intelligence isn\u0027t just changing the way we think about human intelligence \u2014 it\u0027s changing the way we study the mind. \u0022In recent years,\u0022 says \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/psychology.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ESchool of Psychology\u003C\/a\u003E Assistant Professor \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/psychology.gatech.edu\/people\/apurva-ratan-murty\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ERatan Murty\u003C\/a\u003E, \u0022it has become very apparent to us that we have new ways to study the brain.\u0022\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThose new methods were top of mind as over 100 researchers from across Atlanta gathered for this year\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/coco.psych.gatech.edu\/coco-conference-2026\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EComputational Cognition Conference\u003C\/a\u003E (CoCo Con). Hosted by Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/coco.psych.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ECenter of Excellence in Computational Cognition (CoCo)\u003C\/a\u003E on March 13, the conference allowed researchers from Georgia Tech and beyond working at the intersection of the mind and advanced computing to gain insights into both human cognition and artificial intelligence.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECoCo itself is \u201ca hub for research, education, and community\u201d housed within the Georgia Tech School of Psychology says \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/psychology.gatech.edu\/people\/robert-wilson\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ERobert Wilson\u003C\/a\u003E, associate professor in Psychology and director of CoCo. Launched in 2023, the center is home to more than 50 affiliate faculty and 100 trainees across Georgia Tech, Atlanta, and beyond using computational methods to study the mind. Through chalk talks, educational programs, and conferences like CoCo Con, the center aims to rethink how we approach the study of the mind.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe conference featured multidisciplinary talks spanning the full breadth of computation cognition \u2014 from exploration and avoidance in anxiety, what makes music memorable, the theory of mind in humans and machines, dynamic drift diffusion modeling, and the structure of memory for narratives \u2014 overall highlighting the interdisciplinary nature of the field.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAdditionally, the day featured a robust poster session highlighting work by the eight inaugural \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/coco.psych.gatech.edu\/coco-pilot-grants\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ECoCo Pilot Grant recipients\u003C\/a\u003E as well as other postdoctoral scholars, graduate students, and undergraduates doing computational cognition research at Atlanta-based institutions. In total, there were 20 posters ranging from the physics of cognition to naturalistic decision making and beyond.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA running theme throughout the conference was the growing influence of cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence \u2014 and how researchers are preparing for the ethical, social and practical challenges that they bring. \u201cThe next operating system won\u2019t run on your phone,\u201d said DeBrae Kennedy-Mayo, senior academic professional in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.scheller.gatech.edu\/index.html\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EScheller College of Business\u003C\/a\u003E and one of the conference speakers. \u201cIt will run on your brain.\u201d With such rapidly advancing technology and the growing reach of computational cognition research, institutions like CoCo are looking to rethink the current practices of studying brain data in a modern light.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEnding the conference was a panel discussion with researchers from across psychology, anthropology, and related fields to reflect on the future of brain research. Together, they explored what it means to do computational cognition research through the central question: What should be in the CoCo canon?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe discussion emphasized that understanding what we are studying \u2014 and how we study it \u2014 is particularly important in an interdisciplinary field. While the narrative or canon of a field is defined by shared knowledge, skills, and history, computational cognition blurs those boundaries. Ultimately, as posed by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/anthropology.emory.edu\/people\/bios\/stout-dietrich.html\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EEmory Department Chair and Professor of Anthropology Dietrich Stout\u003C\/a\u003E, the field is \u201can interdisciplinary space trying to become a disciplinary space\u201d within the vast array of sciences, technology, mathematics, and engineering.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith or without a defined canon, the day underscored the importance of computational cognition for understanding not just how the mind works, but the future of cutting-edge technologies that shape how we approach the study of the mind.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA running theme throughout the conference was the growing influence of cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence \u2014 and how researchers are preparing for the ethical, social and practical challenges that they bring.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A running theme throughout the conference was the growing influence of cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence \u2014 and how researchers are preparing for the ethical, social and practical challenges that they bring."}],"uid":"36781","created_gmt":"2026-04-07 16:33:19","changed_gmt":"2026-04-07 17:24:55","author":"hashcraft6","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-04-07T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-04-07T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"679876":{"id":"679876","type":"image","title":"Image of CoCo Con 2026 Poster Presentations ","body":"\u003Cp\u003EThis is an image of 2 of the CoCo Con 2026 Posters. Poster presenters are interacting with conference attendees.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1775580160","gmt_created":"2026-04-07 16:42:40","changed":"1775580160","gmt_changed":"2026-04-07 16:42:40","alt":"CoCo Con 2026 Image 1","file":{"fid":"264096","name":"Screenshot-2026-04-07-124002.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/07\/Screenshot-2026-04-07-124002.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/07\/Screenshot-2026-04-07-124002.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1227681,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/04\/07\/Screenshot-2026-04-07-124002.png?itok=nHU52DG1"}},"679877":{"id":"679877","type":"image","title":"Image of CoCo Con 2026 Neurotechnologies, Brain Data, Privacy, and Cybersecurity presentation","body":"\u003Cp\u003EThis is an image of the Neurotechnologies, Brain Data, Privacy, and Cybersecurity: Examining the Present and Looking to the Future presentation, given by DeBrae Kennedy-Mayo.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1775580160","gmt_created":"2026-04-07 16:42:40","changed":"1775580160","gmt_changed":"2026-04-07 16:42:40","alt":"CoCo Con 2026 Image 2","file":{"fid":"264097","name":"Screenshot-2026-04-07-124019.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/07\/Screenshot-2026-04-07-124019.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/07\/Screenshot-2026-04-07-124019.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1032596,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/04\/07\/Screenshot-2026-04-07-124019.png?itok=GsNH67aY"}},"679878":{"id":"679878","type":"image","title":"Image of CoCo Con 2026 Attendee Collaboration","body":"\u003Cp\u003EThis is an image of some CoCo Con 2026 attendees collaborating and discussing their research.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1775580160","gmt_created":"2026-04-07 16:42:40","changed":"1775580160","gmt_changed":"2026-04-07 16:42:40","alt":"CoCo Con 2026 Image 3","file":{"fid":"264098","name":"Screenshot-2026-04-07-124027.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/07\/Screenshot-2026-04-07-124027.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/07\/Screenshot-2026-04-07-124027.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1170295,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/04\/07\/Screenshot-2026-04-07-124027.png?itok=AcwAIsYj"}},"679879":{"id":"679879","type":"image","title":"Image of CoCo Con 2026 CoCo Canon Panel","body":"\u003Cp\u003EThis is an image of the CoCo Con 2026 CoCo Canon Panel, featuring Georgia Tech and Emory research faculty and academic professionals involved with computation cognition research and education.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1775580160","gmt_created":"2026-04-07 16:42:40","changed":"1775580160","gmt_changed":"2026-04-07 16:42:40","alt":"CoCo Con 2026 Image 4","file":{"fid":"264099","name":"Screenshot-2026-04-07-124040.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/07\/Screenshot-2026-04-07-124040.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/07\/Screenshot-2026-04-07-124040.png","mime":"image\/png","size":904147,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/04\/07\/Screenshot-2026-04-07-124040.png?itok=SRWOFK5J"}}},"media_ids":["679876","679877","679878","679879"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/coco.psych.gatech.edu\/","title":"More about the CoCo"},{"url":"https:\/\/psychology.gatech.edu\/news\/brain-ai-and-back-georgia-tech-hosts-inaugural-computational-cognition-conference","title":"From Brain to AI and Back: Georgia Tech Hosts Inaugural Computational Cognition Conference"}],"groups":[{"id":"66220","name":"Neuro"}],"categories":[{"id":"194606","name":"Artificial Intelligence"},{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"42911","name":"Education"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"148","name":"Music and Music Technology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"172970","name":"go-neuro"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"193656","name":"Neuro Next Initiative"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter:\u003C\/strong\u003E Hunter Ashcraft\u003Cbr\u003ECommunications Student Assistant\u003Cbr\u003EInstitute for Neuroscience, Neurotechnology, and Society\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Contact:\u003C\/strong\u003E Audra Davidson\u003Cbr\u003EResearch Communications Program Manager\u003Cbr\u003EInstitute for Neuroscience, Neurotechnology, and Society\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["audra.davidson@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}