Cognitive Science

Associate Professor Brighouse (Philosophy), Chair
Professor Linden
On Special Appointment: Adjunct Assistant Professor Yoo

ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Professor Traiger (Philosophy); Associate Professors Knoerr (Mathematics); Assistant Professors Shtulman (Psychology); Adjunct Assistant Professor Louchouarn (Music)

Cognitive Science is the science of the mind. Drawing on the fields of mathematics, philosophy, psychology, neurobiology, computer science and linguistics, Cognitive Science studies the nature of consciousness, the interaction of mind and matter, and the relationship between thought and language. Cognitive Science addresses long-standing questions about the nature of thought, intelligence, perception, emotion, and other aspects of our mental life by employing the methodologies of the contributing disciplines mentioned above, including philosophical reflection and argument, experimental psychology, the modeling of intelligence with machines, and the investigation of the biological basis of cognition.

The Cognitive Science Program includes courses in biology, linguistics, mathematics, philosophy, and psychology, as well as introductory and advanced courses in Cognitive Science. The Cognitive Science major has three parts: first, a basic course requirement which introduces the student to the field and its contributing subfields, and second, an emphasis requirement where students begin to focus on the aspect of cognitive science which interests them most. Finally, students complete a senior comprehensive project within their cognitive science emphasis.

MAJOR: All cognitive science majors take the following five fundamental courses: Cognitive Science 101: Introduction to Cognitive Science; Cognitive Science 110: Computers and Reality; Cognitive Science 310: Human Information Processing; Cognitive Science 330: Linguistics for Cognitive Science or Linguistics 301: Introduction to Linguistic Structure; and Cognitive Science 490: Senior Seminar.

By the spring semester of the junior year, the cognitive science major declares an emphasis in one of the tracks listed below, and then completes six courses (24 units) in the chosen emphasis. Each emphasis has two electives. The electives must be chosen from courses in a single emphasis outside one’s emphasis. For example, in the philosophy emphasis, the electives may be chosen from one of the following emphases: Bioscience, Computation, or Psychology.

Bioscience Emphasis: Two courses in introductory biology (Biology 115 and 130) or one course in introductory biology and one 200 or 300 level Biology course; Neurobiology, Biology 333; Cognitive Neuroscience, CogSci 320; and two electives.

Computation Emphasis: Discrete Mathematics, Mathematics 210; Mathematical Logic, Mathematics 350; or Metalogic, Philosophy 325; Data Structures and Algorithms, Computer Science 311; and two electives.

Philosophy Emphasis: Formal Logic, Philosophy 225; Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy 360; One of: Philosophy of Science, Philosophy 365; Philosophy of Language, Philosophy 370; Theory of Knowledge, Philosophy 375; one course in the history of philosophy, Philosophy 205, 210, 305 or 380; and two electives.

Psychology Emphasis: Psychological Methods, Psychology 200; Cognitive Psychology, Psychology 306; Two of: Learning, Psychology 301; Perception, Psychology 302; Psychophysiology, Psychology 303; Physiological Psychology, Psychology 322; and two electives.

WRITING REQUIREMENT: Students majoring in Cognitive Science will satisfy the final component of Occidental College’s college-wide writing requirement by achieving a B or better in Cognitive Science 310 or 330, or with a portfolio, as determined by the emphasis. Students should familiarize themselves with the departmental requirement at the time of declaring the major. See the Writing Program and consult the program chair for additional information.

COMPREHENSIVE REQUIREMENT: In the senior year the student carries out a project or writes a thesis on a topic in Cognitive Science of their choosing. The project or thesis is coordinated with the work of the Cognitive Science Senior Seminar. All majors take the Senior Seminar in the fall semester of the senior year.

MINOR: A minor in Cognitive Science consists of the five fundamental courses for the major, the senior seminar, and one other course (4 units) from one of the courses listed in the emphases.

HONORS: Honors in Cognitive Science may be awarded to graduating seniors who demonstrate excellence in their course work and distinction in their senior comprehensive project. To be eligible, students must have a 3.5 grade point average in the major and a 3.25 overall grade point average. In addition, the comprehensive project or thesis must be judged as a “pass with distinction.” See the Honors Program and consult the program chair for further details.

101. INTRODUCTION TO COGNITIVE SCIENCE.

An interdisciplinary introduction to the discovery of the mind through philosophical texts, psychological experiments, artificial intelligence, the study of nerve cells and neural networks and investigations into language. The purpose of the course is to foster an appreciation of the wonder and complexity of minds and brains, both human and otherwise. Not open to seniors in spring semester.

Brighouse, Linden, Shtulman, Yoo

110. COMPUTATION AND COGNITION.

This class will examine the notion that the mind/brain is a computer. We will consider what is a computer and what is computable. We will study formal models of computation including Turing Machines, functional, and logic-based computing. We will also review findings in the psychological study of higher level mental abilities including reasoning, problem solving, memory, and learning, and examine computer models of these processes to see how well they can model human thinking.

Yoo
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: MATH/SCI

210. INTRODUCTION TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Can one create intelligent machines—machines capable of posing and solving problems and of interacting effectively with a complex and dynamic environment? If so, how? And what insights into natural cognition do we gain through efforts to create artificial intelligence? Fundamental principles, architectures, and algorithms for machine perception, control, and problem-solving will be addressed. We will also look in detail at strategies for developing intelligent machines, including traditional AI and the more recent perspectives of situated and embodied cognition. The laboratory component of the course will involve computing and simple robotic devices. Prerequisite: Cognitive Science 110 or permission of instructor. Some computing experience is recommended.

Staff
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: LAB-SCI

295. TOPICS IN COGNITIVE SCIENCE.

Intelligent Agents. This course explores the issues involved in the design of intelligent software agents including: domain-specific and domain-independent agents and problem solving agents that can inhabit environments of varying complexity ranging from single agent computer games to complex real world multiagent environments. Prerequisite: Cognitive Science 110 or permission of instructor. Some computing experience is recommended.

Not given in 2008-2009

301. APPLIED COGNITIVE SCIENCE AND EDUCATION.

This course will address current cognitive science research as applied to learning and education. The concept of multiple intelligences, as well as strengths and weaknesses of individuals in acquisition of information will be emphasized. We will also cover specific learning disabilities/differences and cognitive styles. Prerequisite: Cognitive Science 101, declared minor in Education, or permission of instructor.

Linden
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: MATH/SCI

310. HUMAN INFORMATION PROCESSING.

This course canvasses the main models used in cognitive science in the study of attention, memory, deductive and causal reasoning, belief formation and conceptual change. The models, derived from work in philosophy, mathematics, computer science and biology, include the theory of information, analog and digital computation, natural and artificial neural networks and dynamical systems theory. Prerequisite: Cognitive Science 101 or permission of instructor.

Yoo
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: MATH/SCI

320. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE.

This course is an introduction to the biology and physiology of the nervous system from the perspective of cognition. The material that the course covers will start with membrane biophysics and the production of electrical signals by nerve cells. Then studies of synapses, learning, memory, and plasticity of neural connections will be covered. Finally, the course will conclude examining models of simple nervous systems (non-human and computer-generated). Prerequisite: Cognitive Science 101, Biology 130, or Psychology 322, or permission of the instructor. Familiarity with high school or college physics is beneficial.

Linden
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: MATH/SCI

330. LINGUISTICS FOR COGNITIVE SCIENCE.

Language and cognition are intimately related. For this reason Linguistics has had an extremely strong influence on Cognitive Science. This course studies language and linguistics in the context of Cognitive Science. We will address such questions as how are language and thought related? How is language represented in the brain? How de we process language? To what extent is the human capacity for language innate? Is there a language of thought? What are the best ways to model language acquisition and language processing? We will cover some topics in traditional linguistics, and we will look at current research on connectionist and traditional artificial intelligence approaches to modeling language. Reading will include work by Chomsky, Pinker, McClelland, Rumelhart, Fodor and Elman. Prerequisite: Cognitive Science 101 or 110.

Louchouarn
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: MATH/SCI

397. INDEPENDENT STUDY.

Prerequisite: permission of instructor.

2 or 4 units
Staff

490. SENIOR SEMINAR IN COGNITIVE SCIENCE.

The seminar will cover special topics in cognitive science. Senior cognitive science majors will integrate their senior thesis/project into the work of the seminar. Prerequisite: Cognitive Science 101, Cognitive Science 110 and senior standing in Cognitive Science; or permission of instructor.

Brighouse