Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Examines the neurophysiological bases of cognitive and perceptual phenomena such as memory, attention, language, thinking, imagery, vision, audition, and sensory processes. The study of human cognitive performance with measurement techniques such as ERP, PET, and MRI is also discussed.

COURSE DETAILS:

This course discusses how the human experience emerges from nervous system activity, a topic that is far from completely understood. The course begins with a brief historical review of the origins of cognitive neuroscience, and information about modern methodologies used to examine how the brain mediates cognitive function (e.g., neuroimaging, single-cell recording, electrical stimulation, pharmacological and genetic manipulations, and the effects of brain damage). Working from this foundation, we will critically evaluate questions such as: Do the left and right brain really have different roles and strengths in determining one’s skill set and perceptions? Of how much of the brain’s information processing are we consciously aware? How do different types of sensory information get stitched together into a unified experience, and how do we perceive objects and faces? Is information processed differently by the autistic brain? How do particular sensory events grab our attention, and what neural processes govern how we make decisions?

Grading

Materials

REQUIRED READING: