J7-9792

Cognitive science was established some 30 years ago on the assumption of the computational metaphor. It was widely believed that computational metaphor provides the methodology able to integrate all the disciplines in research of cognitive processes. Development in last years shows that research in cognitive science is still limited by methods of participating disciplines, unable to integrate partial scientific achievements into a wider picture. Main purpose of proposed research is development of interdisciplinary paradigm that would more successfully connect and upgrade standard research approaches of today’s cognitive science.

Applying interdisciplinary approach and integration of partial scientific achievements the research will attempt to deeper the understanding of two interconnected cognitive processes: learning and decision-making. New discoveries are also expected to emerge in all of the included fields of research (philosophy, neuroscience, artificial intelligence and psychology). They will serve as a basis for achieving the main goals of the project: development of integrative methodology of interdisciplinary work and study of collective cognitive processes (i.e. processes of collaborative learning and collaborative decision-making).

Work will unfold in four phases:

1. Research of processes of learning and decision-making from the perspective of specialized scientific disciplines and corresponding research paradigms. Including: neurology, artificial intelligence, psychology, philosophy and phenomenological research.
2. Reflection of applied methodological approaches. (In order to prepare the basis for integrative part of the research, common aspects and differences between applied approaches and corresponding epistemologies will be identified.)
3. Collective research and knowledge construction: synthesis of research results and expert knowledge gained during the first phase of the work.
4. Our own collective research process from the phase 3 will be recorded and circularly applied as an object of methodological research. Goal: study of collective processes of knowledge acquisition, development of tools for facilitation of such processes, and development of general methodological procedures (or guidelines) for interdisciplinary research (of cognitive processes).