Summer School "Human Action Control" in Cluj-Napoca (Romania)

Summer School "Human Action Control - From Basics to Dynamics" (Markus Janczyk and Stefan Scherbaum [TU Dresden])

Funded by the "Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst" (DAAD)

This Summer School took place from the 23rd to the 30th of September, 2015, at the Universitatea Babes-Bolyai in Cluj-Napoca (Romania) and was funded by the DAAD with funds from the German Ministry of Education and Research.

Students from countries including Romania, Moldava, Croatia, and Greece took part in this event. The scientific program started with an introduction into ideomotor theory and conflict adaptation, and a focus on classic methodological approaches to these topics. This was followed by an introduction into dynamic cognitive modelling using the Dynamic Neural Field Theory approach, and the use of continuous measurements such as mouse tracking and frequency-tagged EEG. Participants were further familiarized in practical lectures with potential problems and pitfalls when using these methods. In addition, practical exercises provided hands-on examples as first steps with cognitive modelling, and ample time was provided for developing an own project which was presented in a final session.

Beside the scientific program, a cultural program took place ranging from a German and a Romanian evening to a whole-day excursion to the Turda salt mine and the Cheile Turzii area for a hike in pleasant weather.

We thank the DAAD and the German Ministry of Education and Research for funding this project and event. Further, we thank Renata Heilman and Adrian Opre from the Department of Psychology in Cluj-Napoca for immediately joining us in this project (starting in April 2014), and for their perfect local organization that made the whole event a success. Finally, we thank all participants for their discussions, contributions, and feedback -- and we hope that this was not the last event of this kind.