How do our brains give rise to conscious thought, action, and experience? This is a key question that motivates cognitive science, the interdisciplinary study of the mind. Cognitive scientists integrate approaches from psychology, linguistics, neuroscience, philosophy, and more, to study this issue. This course will survey the major theories, debates, and findings from cognitive science. Topics covered include perception, memory, decision-making, language, consciousness, and more. We will also consider cognitive science from a historical perspective to understand how the study of the mind has evolved in the past century, and what approaches we can take into the future.

Units: 1

Max Enrollment: 25

Crosslisted Courses: PSYC 110

Prerequisites: None

Instructor: Bushong

Distribution Requirements: EC - Epistemology and Cognition

Typical Periods Offered: Fall

Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall

Notes:

Language is central to the human experience. It arises in all cultures and can be learned effortlessly by any child. In fact, children can’t resist it—deprive them of language, and they will invent their own. The organizational power of the human mind and the critical role of human interaction in culture shape the structure of languages and the way they are learned, perceived, and produced. In this class we will apply scientific research methods from cognitive psychology to understand how humans build, use, and acquire language. Throughout, we will view the psychological processes of language through the lenses of cross-linguistic variation, multilingualism, and individual differences.

Units: 1

Max Enrollment: 30

Crosslisted Courses: PSYC 216

Prerequisites: PSYC 101 or NEUR 100, a score of 5 on the Psychology AP exam, or a score of 5, 6, or 7 on the Higher Level IB exam, or permission of the instructor.

Instructor: Pyers

Distribution Requirements: EC - Epistemology and Cognition; SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis

Typical Periods Offered: Every other year

Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring

Notes:

Units: 1

Max Enrollment: 15

Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor.

Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall

Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Spring

Units: 0.5

Max Enrollment: 10

Prerequisites: Open to Fiirst-Years and Sophomores, by permission of the instructor.

Instructor:

Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall

Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Spring

Notes:

Topic for 2024-25: From Perceptrons to ChatGPT: How Computational Models Help Us Understand the Mind

Cognitive scientists have used mathematical and computational methods to understand human cognition since at least the 1940s. Similarly, the study of human neuroscience and cognition has influenced the development of artificial intelligence systems. Beginning in the early 2010s, massive increases in computational power and the accessibility of large databases have resulted in the rapid rise of human-like artificial intelligence systems, culminating in well-known public AI tools like ChatGPT. To what degree are these models a reflection of human intelligence, and can they help us understand human cognition? Are human-like cognitive biases also present in these models, and does this present ethical issues with their use? This course will cover the history of computational modeling in cognitive science, from early debates about modularity, interactivity, and the nature of representation; to the modern development of deep neural networks not only as practical systems, but as models of human cognition.

Units: 1

Max Enrollment: 15

Crosslisted Courses: PSYC 300

Prerequisites: Open to Juniors and Seniors who have taken one of the following - PSYC 215, CLSC 216/PSYC 216, PSYC 217, PSYC 218, PSYC 219, LING 114, PHIL 215, or CS 111; or permission of the instructor.

Instructor: Bushong

Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis; EC - Epistemology and Cognition

Typical Periods Offered: Spring

Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring

Notes: This is a topics course and can be taken more than once for credit as long as the topic is different each time.

Children around the world acquire their first language, spoken or signed, with seemingly little effort. By the end of their first year, they are saying their first words, and a mere two years later they are speaking in full sentences. What are the biological, cognitive, and environmental factors that play into children’s rapid language learning? What do special cases of language acquisition, such as bilingualism, disordered language development (e.g., autism, dyslexia), and sign language tell us about the human capacity to learn language? We will consider all of these questions and more. In addition, we will spend time observing children of different ages to witness language acquisition in action.

Units: 1

Max Enrollment: 15

Crosslisted Courses: CLSC 316

Prerequisites: Two 200-level courses in PSYC (excluding PSYC 205) or LING, or permission of the instructor.

Instructor: Pyers

Distribution Requirements: EC - Epistemology and Cognition; SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis

Typical Periods Offered: Every other year

Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered

Notes:

No other species can communicate complex meanings as flexibly and efficiently as humans can. This course examines the cognitive and neural basis of our communication system, providing a comprehensive overview of what we do and don’t know about it. We will cover topics such as gesture, turn-taking in conversation, miscommunication, language and the role of prediction in communication. The course will introduce core concepts, terminology and skills through reading research papers that probe the architecture of our communication system from a cognitive neuroscience perspective, with a focus on ecological validity in communication research.

Units: 1

Max Enrollment: 15

Crosslisted Courses: CLSC 348

Prerequisites: Open to Juniors and Seniors who have taken one of the following - CLSC 216/PSYC 216, PSYC 217, PSYC 218, PSYC 219, LING 114, PHIL 215, or permission of instructor.

Instructor: Staff

Distribution Requirements: EC - Epistemology and Cognition; SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis

Typical Periods Offered: Spring

Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered

Notes:

Units: 1

Max Enrollment: 25

Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor. Open to juniors and seniors.

Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall

Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Spring

Units: 1

Max Enrollment: 25

Prerequisites: Permission of the director.

Instructor:

Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall

Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Spring

Notes: Students enroll in Senior Thesis Research (360) in the first semester and carry out independent work under the supervision of a faculty member. If sufficient progress is made, students may continue with Senior Thesis (370) in the second semester.

Units: 1

Max Enrollment: 25

Prerequisites: CLSC 360 and permission of the department.

Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall

Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Spring

Notes: Students enroll in Senior Thesis Research (360) in the first semester and carry out independent work under the supervision of a faculty member. If sufficient progress is made, students may continue with Senior Thesis (370) in the second semester.