One of the most important developments or events in the unit's history
In 2011, the two co-directors of the Center, Professors Gergely Csibra and Gyorgy Gergely) were jointly awarded the prestigious Jean Nicod Prize for Outstanding Scientific Achievements in Philosophy of Mind and Cognitive Science, and held the 2011 Jean Nicod Lecture Series in Paris. The Jean Nicod Prize is awarded yearly and is sponsored jointly by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), the Ecole Normale Superieure (ENS) and the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS). A monograph based on the lecture series is to be published in the Jean Nicod Lectures series (MIT Press/Bradford Books; F. Recanati editor).
The most important development in 2014-15
In January 2015, Professor Gyorgy Gergely was awarded a 6-year European Research Council (ERC) Synergy Grant as one of the four principal investigators of the SOMICS Synergy Project for the project, entitled SOMICS: Constructing Social Minds: Coordination, Communication, and Cultural Transmission. Two of the other principal investigators are also faculty of CEU's Cognitive Science Department, Professors Dan Sperber and Gunther Knoblich.
Other important developments in 2014-15
In September 2015, Associate Research Fellow Erno Teglas was awarded a 5-year ERC Starting Grant for his research project, entitled "Precursors of logical reasoning in human infants" (PRELOG).
Engagement with external entities in 2014-15
In November 2015, CDC – as part of an international cooperative research network – received a McDonnell Foundation Grant for their multisite international research project for the study of the "Origins of Abstract Combinatorial Thought." The international network consortium include a number of highly prestigious partner nodes from the US (such as Harvard, John Hopkins University) and from Europe (UFP Barcelona).
Faculty distinctions in 2014-15
- Erno Teglas was named Associate Research Fellow at CDC.
- Co-director of CDC Gergely Csibra was appointed University Professor, effective January 1, 2015.
- Co-director of CDC Gyorgy Gergely was appointed University Professor, effective January 1, 2015.
Major events in 2014-15
- On October 15-16, 2015, the Center hosted an international interdisciplinary workshop on cross-cultural research on "Ostensive communication, social learning, and cultural transmission in small-scale and large-scale societies" within the framework of the ERC SOMICS project, organized by Professor Gyorgy Gergely
- On October 7, 2015, the Center hosted the international workshop "On Cultural Change" within the framework of the ERC SOMICS project by Professor Dan Sperber's OSCAR (Ostension, Communication, and Relevance) Research Group
- On March 5, 2015, the Center hosted an international workshop on meta-representation, organized by Dr. Ildiko Kiraly of the SOMICS Research Group
- On January 8-10, 2015 CDC hosted the annual Budapest CEU International Conference on Cognitive Development (BCCCD) which drew over 200 registered participants