COURSE SYLLABUS
Introduction to Cognitive Science (Thursday 11.00-12.40)
Instructor:
Knoblich, Günther
(email: )
Department of Cognitive Science
Central European University, Fall 2015
PhD in Cognitive Science, 2 Credits
Course e-learning site: http://ceulearning.ceu.edu/course/view.php?id=3236
Office hours: Flexible, talk to me in class or contact me by email
Course Description
This course will give a broad overview of the fundamental assumptions and findings in Cognitive Science, the interdisciplinary study of the mind. The initial sessions will cover general ideas that have been driving the study of the human mind. These will include the view that the mind functions like a digital computer, the view that the mind can be modeled with artificial neural networks, and the view that the mind should be conceived of as a dynamical system closely tied to the environment. Later sessions will address important topics in current Cognitive Science research.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students will:
ü Be able to explain and actively use core concepts in Cognitive Science
ü Be able to critically discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different methods used in Cognitive Science
ü Know how the different disciplines constituting Cognitive Science relate to one another
ü Have an overview of the main research questions in Cognitive Science
ü Be able to effectively present original research in CS to an audience of peers
Course Requirements
(1) Weekly assignments to be submitted on Wednesdays (50% of the final grade). These will vary from week to week and will consist answering questions/reflecting on general readings, coming up with discussion questions, providing opinions etc. There will be a general word limit of 300 words total for each assignment. Grading criteria: depth of understanding, structure and conciseness, originality.
(2) Presentations (40% of the final grade). This will be up to two presentations (30 minutes), depending on the number of course attendees. Grading criteria will be: Quality of content, structure, and exposition.
(3) Contributions to discussion (10%). Attendees are expected to be present during all sessions and to contribute with questions and comments to the discussions.
COURSE SCHEDULE
24th September 2015. Introduction
A brief history of Cognitive Science and an overview of the disciplines that contribute to Cognitive Science. List of topics to be covered in the course. Practical issues such as assigning presentations to students.
General reading:
Bermudez, J. L. (2014). Cognitive Science: An introduction to the science of the mind (second edition). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, pp. 1-137.
Assignment (300 words max, deadline 30th September):
In your view, why do we need an interdisciplinary science of the mind? Do you think that some scientific disciplines are more important than others for understanding how the mind works? Why?
1st October 2015. Physical Symbol Systems
Physical symbol systems hypothesis and other Cognitive Science accounts that have proposed to conceptualize the human mind in close analogy to digital computers.
General reading:
Bermudez, J. L. (2014). Cognitive Science: An introduction to the science of the mind (second edition). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, pp. 138-181.
Newell, A., & Simon, H. A. (1976). Computer science as empirical inquiry: Symbols and search. Communications of the ACM, 19(3), 113-126.
Assignment (300 words max, deadline 7th October):
TBA
8th October 2015. Notions of Modularity
This session will introduce different notions of modularity that continue to play an important role in how Cognitive Scientists view the function of mind and brain.
General reading:
Bermudez, J. L. (2014). Cognitive Science: An introduction to the science of the mind (second edition). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, pp. 276-313.
Barrett, H. C. & Kurzban, R. (2006). Modularity in cognition: Framing the debate. Psychological Review 113: 628-647.
Assignment (300 words max, deadline 14th October):
TBA
15th October 2015. Neural Networks
This session will provide an overview of neural network accounts and provide examples for how they have shifted the research focus in Cognitive Science from symbolic processing to brain-like computing.
General reading:
Bermudez, J. L. (2014). Cognitive Science: An introduction to the science of the mind (second edition). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, pp. 209-275.
Assignment (300 words max, deadline 21st October):
Which brain measures do you find most useful for Cognitive Science research? Why?
22nd October 2015. Cognitive Neuroscience 1
This session will provide an overview of the different brain imaging methods that are used in Cognitive Neuroscience.
General reading:
Bermudez, J. L. (2014). Cognitive Science: An introduction to the science of the mind (second edition). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, pp. 315-351.
For students interested in EEG:
Pfurtscheller, G., & Da Silva, F. L. (1999). Event-related EEG/MEG synchronization and desynchronization: basic principles. Clinical neurophysiology, 110(11), 1842-1857.
Reading for presentation:
Hesselmann, G., Flandin, G., & Dehaene, S. (2011). Probing the cortical network underlying the psychological refractory period: a combined EEG–fMRI study. Neuroimage, 56(3), 1608-1621.
Assignment (300 words max, deadline 28th October):
Give an example for how brain stimulation (tCDS, tACS, or TMS) can lead to enhancement of cognitive functioning? How convincing do find the evidence?
29th October 2015. Cognitive Neuroscience II
This session will provide examples for how brain imaging methods are used in current experimental research.
General reading:
Walsh, V., & Cowey, A. (2000). Transcranial magnetic stimulation and cognitive neuroscience.Nature Reviews Neuroscience,1(1), 73-80.
Reading for presentation:
Haynes, J. D., & Rees, G. (2006). Decoding mental states frombrain activity in humans.Nature Reviews Neuroscience,7(7),523-534.
Assignment (300 words max, deadline 4th November):
TBA
5th November 2015. Predictive Coding
This session will provide an overview of different brain imaging methods that have had a continuously increasing impact on Cognitive Science.
General reading:
Clark, A. (2013). Whatever next? Predictive brains, situated agents, and the future of cognitive science. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 36(03), 181-204.
Hohwy, J. (2012). Attention and conscious perception in the hypothesis testing brain. Frontiers in Psychology, 3.
Reading for presentation:
Pellicano, E., & Burr, D. (2012). When the world becomes ‘too real’: a Bayesian explanation of autistic perception. Trends in cognitive sciences, 16(10), 504-510.
Assignment (300 words max, deadline 11th November):
TBA
12th November 2015. Links between Perception and Action
This session will provide an overview of Cognitive Science research on perception, action, and the close links between them.
General reading:
Milner, A. D., & Goodale, M. A. (2008). Two visual systems re-viewed. Neuropsychologia, 46(3), 774-785.
Rizzolatti, G., & Sinigaglia, C. (2010). The functional role of the parieto-frontal mirror circuit: interpretations and misinterpretations. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 11(4), 264-274.
Reading for presentation:
Bruno, N., & Franz, V. H. (2009). When is grasping affected by the Müller-Lyer illusion? A quantitative review. Neuropsychologia, 47(6), 1421-1433.
Assignment (300 words max, deadline 18th November):
TBA
19th November Dynamical Systems
This session will address dynamical systems approaches in Cognitive Science postulating that the mind should be understood as a physical device that is in constant interaction with its environment. Extreme versions of this approach negate the concept of representation.
General reading:
Bermudez, J. L. (2014). Cognitive Science: An introduction to the science of the mind (second edition). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, pp. 403-443.
Riley, M. A., Shockley, K., Van Orden, G. (2012). Learning from the body about the mind. Topics in Cognitive Science, 4, 21-34.
Reading for presentation:
Richardson, M. J., Harrison, S. J., Kallen, R. W., Walton, A., Eiler, B. A., Saltzman, E., & Schmidt, R. C. (2015). Self-organized complementary joint action: Behavioral dynamics of an interpersonal collision-avoidance task. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 41(3), 665-679.
Assignment (300 words max, deadline 25th November):
TBA
26th November 2015. Language and Action
General reading:
Barsalou, L. W. (2008). Grounded cognition. Annual Review of Psychology, 59, 617-645.
Pulvermüller, F. (2005). Brain mechanisms linking language and action. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 6(7), 576-582.
Reading for presentations:
Boroditsky, L. (2001). Does language shape thought?: Mandarin and English speakers' conceptions of time. Cognitive psychology, 43(1), 1-22.
Assignment (300 words max, deadline 18th November):
TBA
3rd December 2015. Gesture and its Relation to Thought
General reading:
Goldin-Meadow, S. (2014) Widening the lens: What the manual modality reveals about language, learning, and cognition. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Series B, 369(1651), 20130295.
Reading for presentations:
Alibali, M. W., Spencer, R. C., Knox, L., & Kita, S. (2011). Spontaneous gestures influence strategy choices in problem solving. Psychological Science, 1138-1144.
Cook, S. W., Mitchell, Z., & Goldin-Meadow, S. (2008). Gesturing makes learning last. Cognition, 106(2), 1047-1058.
10th December 2015. Cognition and Sleep
General reading:
Diekelmann, S., & Born, J. (2010). The memory function of sleep. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 11, 114-126.
Reading for presentations:
Hu, X., Antony, J. W., Creery, J. D., Vargas, I. M., Bodenhausen, G. V., & Paller, K. A. (2015). Unlearning implicit social biases during sleep. Science, 348(6238), 1013-1015.
Wagner, U., Gais, S., Haider, H., Verleger, R., & Born, J. (2004). Sleep inspires insight. Nature, 427(6972), 352-355.
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