Reasoning and Imagination Lab

The CogNovo Institute at Plymouth University, England hosted a talk by Ruth Byrne on ‘The role of imagined alternatives to reality in reasoning about intentions’ on Monday March 16th.

The second workshop of the European Observatory on the New Human Condition was held in Trinity College Dublin on January 19th and 20th 2015, attended by Ruth Byrne.

The keynote talk at the 7th Irish Economics and Psychology Conference, at UCD’s Geary Institute was given by Ruth Byrne in Dublin on October 31st 2014.

Ruth Byrne gave a talk in the School of Psychology at the University of Granada, Spain on ‘Counterfactual Conditionals: Embodied representations or iconic models with symbols?’

Mary Parkinson gave a talk at the British Psychological Society’s Cognitive Section Annual Conference  in Nottingham on ‘Framing Effects in Moral Judgments about Risk’

Members of the lab gave the following talks at the London Reasoning Workshop:

Mary Parkinson and Ruth Byrne
Framing Effects in Moral Judgments about Risk

Ruth Byrne and Orlando Espino
Counterfactuals and Embodied Representations

Sergio Moreno-Ríos & Ruth Byrne
When facts become false during inferential processing

Célia Rasga, Ana Cristina Quelhas, and Ruth M.J. Byrne
Children’s counterfactual and false-belief inferences about reasons for actions

See the full program here

Ruth Byrne gave a talk on ‘Counterfactual thoughts in elevation-inspired emulation’ at the EASP 2014 Preconference: Causation, counterfactuals and blame

easp-amsterdam-causation-counterfactuals-blame-pre-conference

March 2014 ESRC People Risk in Financial Systems symposium, Institute of Bankers, Irish Financial Services Centre

April 2014 Fellows Research Salon, Trinity College Dublin: ‘The Science of the Imagination’

November 2013 InnovationDublin Dublin Talks Smock Alley: ‘The Rational Imagination’

October 2013 University of Limerick, Ireland: ‘Cognitive Processes in the Counterfactual Imagination’

November 2013 University of Geneva, Switzerland: ‘Thinking about Alternatives to Reality’

Sergio Moreno Rios was a visiting researcher in the lab from January to July 2014, collaborating on a project on cognitive processes in inferences people make from facts that turn out to be false.

PhD Studentship in Moral Reasoning

A PhD studentship is available to carry out research on cognitive processes in moral judgments supervised by Ruth Byrne. The PhD studentship is funded from a grant awarded by the John Templeton Foundation. It will provide the successful candidate with €16,000 per annum for three years plus annual University tuition fees commencing in September 2014. It is part of the research conducted at the Reasoning and Imagination lab at Trinity College, University of Dublin, Ireland.

The PhD studentship would suit candidates who are carrying out or have completed a dissertation for an undergraduate or master’s degree examining cognitive processes using experimental methods. Interested applicants should send a short CV, including a one-page summary of their dissertation, to Ruth Byrne at rmbyrne@tcd.ie   The closing date for applications is May 16^th 2014.