Knowledge representation of time, space, and events
Representations of the real world concern in particular the anchoring of objects and situations (events) in space and time. Only if the spatial and temporal properties and relations of objects and events are represented adequately, it is possible to unterstand, plan, explain and carry out events in the real world. This research group therefore develops general procedures for representing and processing knowledge about space, time and events and tests them in exemplary domains.
Representation of objects and concepts
This area of interest looks into the part-whole-structure of entities and the relation between structure and category membership. Principles of wholeness and integrity which are fundamental for the development, representation, and processing of concepts as well as strategies for the representation and processing of form and gestalt of objects are investigated.
Understanding and production of language
Natural language processes (i.e. understanding and producing utterances or text) are regarded as specific cognitive processes that interact with othr non-linguistic cognitive processes. It is assumed that a cognitive foundation that is reflected by the design of NL systems is advantageous not only from a purely scientific point of view but also considering productivity and transferability of these systems in the long term.
Multimodality: Representation and Communication
The ability to use a variety of modalities and to integrate them is a core feature of human information processing. This concerns sensor modalities (as visual, auditory and haptic perception), modalities of thinking (e.g. in propositional and pictorial / visual problem solving), as well as modalities of communication (speech and language, gesture, and pictorial / graphical representations). Our research group addresses these topics from two perspectives: On the one hand, we investigate fundamental principles for common semantics and for conceptual interfaces among mono- and multimodal representations, on the other hand, we conduct empirical studies concerning multimodal comprehension and production of language and pictorial representations (as sketches, maps, floor plans, and statistical graphs of different types).