Cognitive Economics: Virtual Conference

The Cognitive Economics Society (in partnership with YSI Behavior & Society Working Group) is delighted to announce its virtual conference in July this year. We look forward to sharing new knowledge and research on cognitive economics, providing networking opportunities with new and potential colleagues, and running compelling discussions and debates.

Due to current restrictions on travel and social gatherings, we have decided to hold this event digitally instead of our original plan for an in-person conference in June. This is an experiment for us, as the whole world figures out how to deal with this new reality. We suggest you think about this call for papers and virtual conference like you would a normal conference; we hope that this year at least, presenting at a digital conference will be seen as an equivalent achievement to an in-person conference. We also expect that the reach of the conference will be greater.

Overview:

The 21st century is pushing us towards an ever more digital, information-driven, persuasion-based global economy – just as a new set of tools are emerging in neuroscience and psychology that offer the power to understand these phenomena in a new way. Cognitive economics is an emerging field that provides tools of analysis, and experimental methods, to explore the new economy. When the scarcest resource is attention rather than money, how does economic analysis change?

Cognitive economics is a relatively new field linked to behavioural economics and focused on the value that people place on their mental states and beliefs. This phenomenon is important for a variety of topics including marketing, culture, identity economics, citizens’ participation in symbolic narratives such as politics, and the information economy.

Call for papers:

We invite proposals for 20-minute presentations on topics relating to theoretical, empirical and applied cognitive economics. This is a cross-disciplinary subject and we welcome contributions relating to one or more of the following overlapping strands:

• Economics (especially the economics of information, attention, and happiness, or behavioural economics)
• Psychology (especially relating to mental simulation, non-standard preferences and narrative)
• Neuroscience (especially relating to attention, valuation and mental simulation)
• Marketing (especially of narratives and intangible goods)
• Talks from other disciplines including sociology, politics, complex systems, or AI are very welcome – provided the topic is examined through a cognitive economics lens
  As this is a newly emerging field with fluid boundaries, we take an open-minded view about what is within the scope of this second conference. To see what our first workshop was like, including the programme, and slides, recordings and summaries of some of the talks, please visit www.cognitiveeconomics.org/resources. Acceptance ratio for the previous conference was approximately 31% for paper presentations and 41% including posters.

If you have an idea for a panel or discussion topic, please feel free to include that with your submission. Papers accepted will be eligible for submission to a special issue of the journal Mind and Society.

How will a virtual conference work:

We will be using video conferencing software to allow speakers, panellists and hosts to broadcast live to attendees around the world. Attendees will be able to view the live video feed from the comfort of their home or workplace.

To present, all you will need is a laptop or computer with a microphone and camera and a good internet connection to take part. Delegates are also welcome to register to watch without presenting.

We hope to take advantage of innovative technology to allow for networking, poster presentations, panel discussions and breakout discussions as well. We will share full details on how to join the conference – so please feel confident in applying even if you have not used such software or been to a virtual conference before.

We recommend that registered delegates and presenters attend for the whole two days if possible, and watch other speakers’ talks just as you’d like them to watch yours. However the digital format does of course allow the flexibility to pop out for a call or Zoom meeting in the middle if you need to.

Further info:

Scientific committee:

• David Hagmann: Postdoctoral Fellow, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
• Sam Johnson: Lecturer (Assistant Professor), Marketing, University of Bath School of Management.
• Leigh Caldwell: Director of Cognitive Economics Society, organiser of the London Behavioural Economics Network and the YSI Behavior and Society Working Group

Keynote speakers:

• Rory Sutherland, Ogilvy
• Tali Sharot, UCL
• Daniel Read, Warwick Business School
• Riccardo Viale, Università di Milano-Bicocca