Computational Psychology (short, Psycho-Info) : A Theoretical Framework

Psycho-info is an interdisciplinary framework that formalizes psychological processes through explicit computational structures. Situated at the intersection of theoretical psychology, computer science, and data science, it seeks to transform psychological theories into generative systems capable of simulation and empirical testing.

Its core assumption is that a psychological theory is fully explanatory only when it can be expressed as a computational model that generates observable behavioral trajectories. Mental phenomena are thus conceived as dynamic information-processing systems, representable at multiple levels of abstraction (symbolic, probabilistic, connectionist, or dynamical).

The field is structured around three axes: (1) the algorithmic formalization of cognitive and behavioral theories using automata, networks, and dynamical systems; (2) the analysis of complex psychological data through machine learning and computational methods; and (3) the modeling of digital behavior and human–machine interaction as coupled dynamic systems.

Psycho-info therefore advances a structurally explicit, generative, and testable science of psychological dynamics.

 

Psycho-info does not simply denote the use of statistical or machine learning techniques in psychological research. While such tools are central, the field requires explicit generative formalization of underlying mechanisms rather than purely predictive modeling.

It is not reducible to applied artificial intelligence or behavioral optimization. Its primary aim is explanatory: to construct formal models that clarify the structure and dynamics of cognitive and behavioral processes.

Nor is it limited to computational modeling of isolated laboratory tasks. Its scope is broader, seeking structurally explicit architectures capable of accounting for psychological trajectories across contexts.

Finally, psycho-info is not merely a philosophical commitment to computationalism. It entails the specification of implementable, testable formal systems constrained by empirical data.

In short, psycho-info is defined less by its tools than by its orientation toward structurally explicit, generative models of psychological dynamics.

Eric Artiges, Centre Borelli, ENS Paris-Saclay

Frédéric Boulanger, LMF, Centrale-Supélec

Raphael Faure, LMF ENS Paris-Saclay

Amine Haddou, LMF ENS Paris-Saclay

Alain Finkel, LMF,ENS Paris-Saclay

Gaspard Fougea, LMF, ENS Paris-Saclay

Lise Haddouk, Centre Borelli, ENS Paris-Saclay

Jean-Claude Martin, LISN, Université Paris-Saclay

David Rudrauf, F2S, Université Paris-Saclay

Nicolas Sabouret, LISN, Université Paris-Saclay

Grégoire Sergent-Perthuis, CQSB,Sorbonne Université

Lina Ye, LMF, Centrale-Supélec

Participants are invited to submit a poster before May 4th 2026.

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