Overview
The Cognitive Science Program at UC Berkeley offers undergraduates the opportunity to explore the mind from an interdisciplinary perspective. Courses in the program draw on psychology, linguistics, computer science, philosophy, neuroscience, and anthropology, among other fields, to illuminate how the human mind works and why it works the way it does.
Many influential ideas within cognitive science originated at Berkeley. The program draws on over 40 affiliated faculty from a variety of departments and is closely integrated with cognitive science research efforts across the campus.
The cognitive science research community at Berkeley is centered around the Institute of Cognitive and Brain Sciences. Students interested in cognitive science graduate study can receive graduate training in programs in affiliated disciplines, e.g. psychology, linguistics, neuroscience. There is presently no separate graduate program specifically for cognitive science.
Undergraduate Program
Graduate Program
Courses
Cognitive Science
Terms offered: Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2021
This course introduces the interdisciplinary field of cognitive science. Lectures and readings will survey research from artificial intelligence, psychology, linguistics, philosophy, and neuroscience, and will cover topics such as the nature of knowledge, thinking, remembering, vision, imagery, language, and consciousness. Sections will demonstrate some of the major methodologies.
Introduction to Cognitive Science: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for COG SCI 1 after completing COG SCI C1, COG SCI N1, or COG SCI 1B. A deficient grade in COG SCI 1 may be removed by taking COG SCI C1, COG SCI N1, or COG SCI 1B.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-4 hours of lecture and 2-0 hours of laboratory per week
Summer:
6 weeks - 7.5-5 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of laboratory per week
8 weeks - 9-7.5 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023
This course introduces the interdisciplinary field of cognitive science. Lectures and readings will survey research in such fields as artificial intelligence, psychology, linguistics, philosophy, and neuroscience, and will cover topics such as the nature of knowledge, thinking, remembering, vision, imagery, language, and consciousness.
Introduction to Cognitive Science: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for N1 after taking Cognitive Science 1 or Cognitive Science C1/Education C1.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2022 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2022 Second 6 Week Session
This course introduces the interdisciplinary field of cognitive science. Lectures and readings will survey research in such fields as artificial intelligence, psychology, linguistics, philosophy, and neuroscience, and will cover topics such as the nature of knowledge, thinking, remembering, vision, imagery, language, and consciousness. Sections will demonstrate some of the major methodologies. This course is a core prerequisite for the Cognitive Science major and therefore must be taken for a letter grade.
Introduction to Cognitive Science: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for N1 after taking Cognitive Science 1 or Cognitive Science C1/Education C1.
Hours & Format
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Formerly known as: C1
Terms offered: Fall 2020, Spring 2019, Spring 2018
How does the human mind work? We explore this question by analyzing a range of data concerning such topics as human rationality and irrationality, human memory, how objects and events are represented in the mind, and the relation of language and cognition. This class provides students with critical thinking and computing skills that will allow them to work with data in cognitive science and related disciplines.
Data Science and the Mind: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: This course is meant to be taken concurrently with Computer Science C8/Statistics C8/Information C8. Students may take more than one 88 (data science connector) course if they wish, ideally concurrent with or after having taken the C8 course
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of laboratory, 0.5 hours of discussion, and 0.5 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Fall 2021
Seminar for the group study of selected topics. Topics may be initiated by students subject to the approval of the major advisor.
Directed Group Study: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Credit Restrictions: Enrollment is restricted; see the Introduction to Courses and Curricula section of this catalog.
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-4 hours of directed group study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2011, Fall 2010
Independent study and research by arrangement with faculty.
Supervised Independent Study and Research: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Restricted to freshmen and sophomores; consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-12 hours of independent study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session, Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
Theoretical foundations and current controversies in cognitive science will be discussed. Basic issues in cognition--including perception, imagery, memory, categorization, thinking, judgment, and development--will be considered from the perspectives of philosophy, psychology, computer science, and physiology. Particular emphasis will be placed on the nature, implications, and limitations of the computational model of mind.
Basic Issues in Cognition: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for Psychology C120 after passing PSYCH N120. A deficient grade in PSYCH N120 may be removed by taking PSYCH C120.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2-4 hours of lecture and 2-0 hours of discussion per week
Summer:
6 weeks - 5-7.5 hours of lecture and 2.5-0 hours of discussion per week
8 weeks - 3.5-5.5 hours of lecture and 2-0 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Also listed as: PSYCH C120
Terms offered: Summer 2023 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2019 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2018 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2017 Second 6 Week Session
Theoretical foundations and current controversies in cognitive science will be discussed. Basic issues in cognition--including perception, imagery, memory, categorization, thinking, judgment, and development--will be considered from the perspectives of philosophy, psychology, computer science, and physiology. Particular emphasis will be placed on the nature, implications, and limitations of the computational model of mind.
Basic Issues in Cognition: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for Psychology N120 after passing PSYCH C120. A deficient grade in PSYCH C120 may be removed by taking PSYCH N120.
Hours & Format
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Also listed as: PSYCH N120
Terms offered: Spring 2021, Summer 2019 8 Week Session, Spring 2019
Conceptual systems and language from the perspective of cognitive science. How language gives insight into conceptual structure, reasoning, category-formation, metaphorical understanding, and the framing of experience. Cognitive versus formal linguistics. Implications from and for philosophy, anthropology, literature, artificial intelligence, and politics.
Cognitive Linguistics: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture and 1.5 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Instructors: G. Lakoff, E. Sweetser
Formerly known as: 105
Also listed as: LINGUIS C105
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023
This course will explore cognitive and affective components of happiness and distress, including pleasure, meaning, and well-being, sadness, fear, and anger. Also, negative thought patterns associated with various psychological disorders, including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and PTSD, and their neurological underpinnings. Then we will turn to the new field of self-directed neuroplasticity to explore evidence-based psychotherapeutic techniques for transforming negative thoughts and cultivating positive ones, including mindfulness, gratitude, and CBT-based techniques. We will compare these to psychoactive drugs and brain stimulation used to treat such disorders. We will also look at recent developments in neuroimaging data.
Neuropsychology of Happiness: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5-8 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Instructor: Chan
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022
An introduction to principal theoretical constructs and experimental procedures in visual and auditory perception. Topics will include psychophysics; perception of color, space, shape, and motion; pattern recognition and perceptual attention.
Perception: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor. 101 recommended
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Also listed as: PSYCH C126
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2022, Spring 2022
This course will examine research investigating the neurological basis of cognition. Material covered will include the study of brain-injured patients, neurophysiological research in animals, and the study of normal cognitive processes in humans with non-invasive behavioral and physiological techniques such as functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Topics to be covered include perception, attention, memory, language, motor control, executive control, and emotion.
Cognitive Neuroscience: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Psych/MCB C61 OR Psych 110, or Psych C120/Cog Sci C100, and relevant prerequisites. Courses may be taken simultaneously with Psych C127. Enrollment limited to students who are declared Psych, CogSci, MCB, or IB majors, or by permission of the instructor if the student has declared another major
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Also listed as: PSYCH C127
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Summer 2024 8 Week Session, Spring 2024
This course will provide advanced students in cognitive science and computer science with the skills to develop computational models of human cognition, giving insight into how people solve challenging computational problems, as well as how to bring computers closer to human performance. The course will explore three ways in which researchers have attempted to formalize cognition -- symbolic approaches, neural networks, and probability and statistics -- considering the strengths and weaknesses of each.
Computational Models of Cognition: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Calculus, discrete mathematics, Cognitive Science 1, Computer Science 61A, or equivalents
Credit Restrictions: Student will receive no credit for Cognitive Science 131 after taking Cognitive Science C131/Psychology C123. A deficient grade in Cognitive C131/Psychology C123 may be removed by taking Cognitive Science 131.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 4-3 hours of lecture and 0-1 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 6-8 hours of lecture and 2-0 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2022, Fall 2020, Spring 2013
This course will provide advanced students in cognitive science and computer science with the skills to develop computational models of human cognition, giving insight into how people solve challenging computational problems, as well as how to bring computers closer to human performance. The course will explore three ways in which researchers have attempted to formalize cognition -- symbolic approaches, neural networks, and probability and statistics -- considering the strengths and weaknesses of each.
Computational Models of Cognition: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Calculus, discrete mathematics, CogSci 1/1b/N1, Computer Science 61A, or equivalents
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Also listed as: PSYCH C123
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Summer 2024 8 Week Session, Spring 2024
This course provides advanced students in cognitive science, psychology, computer science, and biology with the skills to develop numerical methods used in the study of neuroscience and cognition. We will study several main areas in neuroscience and cognition: memory and the underlying communication between hippocampus and cortical areas; movement control through the study of the cortico-basal-thalamic loops. Modulation of mesolimbic and nigrostriatal pathways by dopamine. Modulation of cortico-hippocampal circuits by acetylcholine and the role of these circuits in the onset of Alzheimer disease. We will study the coherence of electrical oscillations in different parts of the brain and how that coherence can be disturbed in disease.
Rhythms of the Brain: from Neuronal Communication to Function: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Prerequisites are a basic familiarity with programming (as might be obtained from COMPSCI 61A or ENG 7), exposure to cognitive science (e.g., CogSci 1/N1/1B), comfort with basic calculus (e.g., Math 1A), and discrete math (e.g., Math 55 or COMPSCI 70)
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 4-6 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 9-6 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Rhythms of the Brain: from Neuronal Communication to Function: Read Less [-]
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2022, Fall 2021
An introduction to quantitative methods for linguistic analysis and applications. Students will be introduced to statistical modeling techniques for linguistic datasets, as well as models that have applications in natural language processing. The class will make use of programming languages (R and/or Python) as necessary—e.g., for data visualization and modeling.
Quantitative Methods in Linguistics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 100 or graduate student standing
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture and 2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Instructor: Gahl
Also listed as: LINGUIS C160
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session, Spring 2022, Spring 2021
This seminar explores the relation of language and thought. Is language uniquely human, and if so, what does this reveal about the human mind? Does the particular language you speak affect the way you think, or do human languages reflect a universal conceptual repertoire? The goal of this class is to familiarize you with a set of classic arguments on these themes, together with current research that evaluates these arguments, through weekly reading and discussion.
Language and Thought: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Instructor: Regier
Also listed as: LINGUIS C142
Terms offered: Spring 2023, Spring 2020
This class will explore language and the psychological and neurological processing related to language, language use, and cognition from the multidisciplinary perspective of cognitive science. This psycho-neuro-linguist approach will ask whether language is a unique system within the overall cognitive system, with its own specialized representations and operations, or whether language is more continuous with other cognition.
Cognitive Science of Language: Read More [+]
Objectives & Outcomes
Course Objectives: The objective of this course is to excite interest in and explore language and cognition through the lens of cognitive science. The psychological and neurological processing related to language helps to show the nature of the human mind in comparison to others, the unique variety of cognition that language serves, and the relation of that type of cognition to other types. This not only helps to reveal various forms of cognition but also how those forms relate in human, as well as non-human, minds. To do this we will ask:
1) What is language as a system and behavior of humankind?
2) Where is the knowledge of language from?
3) How is language acquired, processed, and lost in the human brain?
4) What do the empirical results and the history of linguistic studies that we cover reveal about how we think about language and, by implication, human beings themselves.
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Cognitive Science 1/1B/N1 preferred
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-4 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5-9.5 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Instructor: Pageler
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
Throughout this course we will draw upon theoretical and experimental research articles to study a variety of important topics in the slurs and stereotypes literature including the brain and cognitive components involved in processing slurs and stereotypes, the relationship between the content of slurs and stereotypical attributes of their targets, the semantics and pragmatics of slurs, classical and prototype theories of concepts, negative and positive stereotypes, derogatory and non-derogatory uses of slurs, contextual factors that influence the interpretation of slurs, social communication of power and status, and slur reclamation or appropriation. Philosophical, experimental, corpus-based, and computational methods will be explored.
Slurs and Stereotypes: Read More [+]
Objectives & Outcomes
Course Objectives: Students will develop their understanding of cognitive science by reading a collection of original research articles focusing on slurs and stereotypes. Becoming proficient with this literature will help students understand the current state of the field so that they can evaluate strengths and weaknesses of different views about slurs and stereotypes, formulate new research questions, and develop original ideas for further studying
slurs and stereotypes on their own. By reading original articles about slurs and stereotypes from different subfields of cognitive science, including linguistics, psychology, philosophy, and cognitive neuroscience, students will also improve their ability to evaluate and prepare arguments, understand experimental design, collect data, read tables and figures, and interpret results. By completing two quizzes over the course of the semester, students will gain a foundational understanding about the literature on slurs and stereotypes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Instructor: Croom
Terms offered: Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session
Humans across all time periods and cultures have engaged in musical and linguistic activity, but why do all humans engage in these two peculiar kinds of complex behaviors? The purpose of this course is to introduce students to embodied, cognitive perspectives on music and language through the study of a range of topics about music and language including jazz improvisation, the evolution of rhythm processing, and birdsong, to name a few. By completing this course students will gain insight into one of the most fascinating areas of research in cognitive science today and build an understanding of the central roles that music and language play in our mental and social life.
Music, Language, and Cognition: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Recommended: CogSci 1, 1B, or N1
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 4-8 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Instructor: Croom
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022
When something "makes sense” or " is organized” we are imposing or discovering order in the arrangement of concepts, events, or resources of some kind. Sensemaking and organizing are fundamental human activities that raise many multi- or trans-disciplinary questions about perception, knowledge, decision making, interaction with things and with other people, values and value creation. We will analyze sensemaking and organizing from four interrelated perspectives. The most fundamental one is provided by language and culture, which shapes the perspectives one takes as an individual, in institutional contexts governed by business or legal processes, or in data-intensive or scientific contexts.
Sensemaking and Organizing: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Cognitive Science 1/1B/N1
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Instructor: Glushko
Terms offered: Summer 2021 First 6 Week Session, Spring 2021, Fall 2020
This course introduces students to the full range of brain damage causes, which are: traumatic brain injury (TBI) - civilian vs. military, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), stroke, tumors, infections, hypoxia, addiction, neurological, and congenital conditions. We understand how brain damage caused by each condition leads to localized and non-localized deficits in the key functions comprising cognition, emotion, physiology, social skills, behavior, and daily functioning capacity. Key co-occurring disorders are covered that present due to the fundamental brain damage causes.
Brain Damage: Read More [+]
Objectives & Outcomes
Course Objectives: We will explore various methods for measuring and diagnosing specific brain injuries. For example, TBI-induced axonal injury can be measured from structural perspective by diffusion tensor imaging, and from a neuropsychological perspective using the Glasgow Coma Scale. We will conclude by synthesizing all of this information into recommendations for treatment protocols of each specific brain injury, and a look at how the brain compensates for each condition’s brain cell loss, which highlights the remarkable neuroplasticity of the brain.
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: CogSci 1/N1/1B and MCB C61/C64 or Psych 110 recommended
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Instructor: Isaac
Terms offered: Spring 2020
This course will explore genetic, environment, systems neuroscience to understand critical pathways that underlie the emergence of common diseases (Dementia), neuropathology of fear (Anxiety Disorders), neurodevelopmental disorders (ADHD, Autism), learning disabilities (e.g. Dyslexia), addiction (e.g. Alcoholism) and psychosis (Schizophrenia, Major Depressive Disorder). Seminal and current research will demonstrate how science and current technologies are transforming our knowledge of the interplay between genes, environment, brain development, and cognitive functioning.
Genetic Factors in Neuropsychology: Read More [+]
Objectives & Outcomes
Course Objectives: Students will gain a deeper understanding of how genetic factors influence cognitive functioning. How do we assess cognitive domains and trace results to brain and genetic predisposition? How does neuropsychology contribute to our understanding of disease onset (pre-morbid functioning), progression (worsening symptoms) or knowing the difference between someone who is depressed with memory deficits and someone with early onset dementia memory deficits (e.g. differential diagnosis of pseudodementia)? We will conclude each lecture with a translational science discussion on how advancements in knowledge about genetic factors in neuropsychology is converting into precision medicine for pharmacological interventions, diagnostic procedures and preventive measures.
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: CogSci 1/N1/1B and MCB C61/C64 or Psych 110 preferred
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Instructor: Isaac
Terms offered: Spring 2020
Cognitive Neuroscience has provided a paradigm shift in our understanding of brain structure and function. We have excitingly transitioned from a scientific approach to brain science that relied primarily on overt behavioral observation and making anatomical inferences based on those behaviors to probing the brain in ways that were once considered inconceivable. Scientific and technology (imaging) developments now enable neuroscientists to view, investigate, measure, and influence the brain directly. An understanding of both structure and function then advances our knowledge of the mechanisms involved in cognitive processes underlying neural systems. For instance, what brain structures are involved, connected and work in concert to form new
Clinical Applications in Cognitive Neuroscience: Read More [+]
Objectives & Outcomes
Course Objectives: Students will also gain an appreciation of the relationship between healthy brain function and its breakdown (pathophysiology) in various disease states. Understanding disease states constitutes an important aspect of this course. Brain disorders change the neural circuits in the brain and cause it to malfunction during basic cognitive processes, such as memory and attention. We will compare how healthy neural circuits are functioning and draw inferences about the biological basis of the impacted cognitive processes.
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: CogSci 1/1B/N1 or MCBC61/C64 or Psych 101 preferred
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Instructor: Isaac
Clinical Applications in Cognitive Neuroscience: Read Less [-]
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
Do you have a self or are you one? How is the self related to brain structure and function? Is the self, for example, identical to some part of the brain or part of the brain’s function? Can you damage the self by damaging the brain? In this course we will look at these questions from conceptual, psychological, and neuroscientific perspectives. We will study both normal and injured brains to help shed light on what is a deeply philosophical and personal issue: What is the human the self. We will read various papers pertaining to these issues as well as the books listed under required reading.
Mind, Brain, and Identity: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Instructor: Pageler
Terms offered: Summer 2020 Second 6 Week Session
This class is on the cognitive unconsciousness. This is the unconscious mind from a cognitive science point of view rather than one from psychoanalysis (though we will briefly touch on the psychoanalytic notions of the unconscious to clarify the distinction). The basic guide will be asking whether there is explanatory value to explaining human behavior with mental states or events that are not conscious to the person who has them. We say, for example, that a person flinched because they felt pain. Pain is a mental state that can explain the behavior (the flinch) of the person. Are there good reasons to think that some behaviors are explained by unconscious mental states? Cognitive science provides a strong reason to believe we can an
The Cognitive Unconscious: Read More [+]
Objectives & Outcomes
Course Objectives: The objective of this course is to explore and understand the conceptual and empirical approaches to the cognitive unconscious from the multidisciplinary perspective of philosophy and cognitive science.
Student Learning Outcomes: Argue for or against theoretical positions in cognitive science. Based on 1) and 2), students will be able to argue for or against theoretical positions in this domain of cognitive science.
Evaluate simple behavioral and neuroscientific experiments. Based on 1), students will be able to evaluate philosophical, neuroscientific, and psychological experiments regarding the demarcation of conscious and unconscious states.
Explain and apply knowledge of landmark findings and theories in cognitive science. Students will be able to explain a sense of the nature, demarcation, and function of conscious and unconscious mental states (events/ activity)
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Cognitive Science 1/1B/N1 preferred
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Instructor: Pageler
Terms offered: Summer 2020 First 6 Week Session, Spring 2020
This class will explore cognitive psychology and some neurological processing related to cognition and the formation and use of “ideas” or “concepts.” We will discuss the modeling of idea and concept formation, the structures of memory, reasoning and problem solving, and meta-cognition, among others.
The Cognitive Psychology of Concept and Idea Formation: Read More [+]
Objectives & Outcomes
Course Objectives: The objective of this course is to explore and understand the conceptual and empirical approaches to the cognitive unconscious from the multidisciplinary perspective of philosophy and cognitive science.
Student Learning Outcomes: Argue for or against theoretical positions in cognitive science. Based on 1) and 2), students will be able to argue for or against theoretical positions in this domain of cognitive science.
Evaluate simple behavioral and neuroscientific experiments. Based on 1), students will be able to evaluate philosophical, neuroscientific, and psychological experiments regarding the demarcation of conscious and unconscious states.
Explain and apply knowledge of landmark findings and theories in cognitive science. Students will be able to explain a sense of the nature, demarcation, and function of conscious and unconscious mental states (events/ activity).
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Cognitive Science 1/1B/N1 preferred
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-4 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5-9.5 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Instructor: Pageler
The Cognitive Psychology of Concept and Idea Formation: Read Less [-]
Terms offered: Spring 2023, Fall 2022, Summer 2022 Second 6 Week Session
Selected topics in the study of Cognitive Science.
Special Topics in Cognitive Science: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2-4 hours of seminar per week
Summer:
6 weeks - 6-8 hours of seminar per week
8 weeks - 4-8 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2023
Independent study and preparation of an honors thesis under the supervision of a faculty member.
Special Study for Honors Candidates: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Students must complete their pre-honors research as well as their honors methods requirement before applying to the honors program in Cogsci. Once accepted to the honors program, they will be enrolled in the appropriate number of H195 units
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-0 hours of independent study per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 5.5-0 hours of independent study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2013, Spring 2012
Independent study and preparation of an honors thesis under the supervision of a faculty member.
Special Study for Honors Candidates: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Open only to senior cognitive science majors in the honors program
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit up to a total of 6 units.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 0 hours of independent study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2011, Spring 2008, Spring 2007
Independent study and preparation of an honors thesis under the supervision of a faculty member.
Special Study for Honors Candidates: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Open only to senior cognitive science majors in the honors program
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit up to a total of 6 units.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 0 hours of independent study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Summer 2017 10 Week Session
Academic internship credit for students pursuing an internship related to their studies in the Cognitive Science Program. Limited to Cognitive Science declared majors with at least 60 units, and a 2.0 GPA.
Academic Internship Credit: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-9 hours of independent study per week
Summer: 10 weeks - 1-12 hours of independent study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2016
Seminar for the group study of selected topics. Topics may be initated by students subject to the approval of the major advisor.
Directed Group Study: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Upper division standing and consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-4 hours of directed group study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Fall 2015, Fall 2014, Spring 2013
Independent study and research by arrangement with faculty.
Independent Study in Research: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Restricted to juniors and seniors
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-4 hours of independent study per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 1.5-7.5 hours of independent study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2014, Spring 2013, Spring 2012
Thought appears to be grounded in the sensorimotor system, and to grow out of the nature of the physical brain and body; human reason also makes extensive and fundamental use of imaginative mechanisms such as metaphor and metonymy. The readings in this course review that evidence, much of which comes from the study of how people categorize and reason using categories. The course will include both discussions and research projects appropriate to students in each of the disciplines.
Graduate Seminar on the Mind and Language: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Graduate standing or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 4 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Graduate
Grading: Letter grade.
Terms offered: Fall 2008, Spring 2007, Fall 2006
This course will provide training in a variety of teaching techniques, will review relevant pedagogical issues, and will assist undergraduate students in mastering their initial teaching experiences.
Teaching Cognitive Science: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-2 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Cognitive Science/Professional course for teachers or prospective teachers
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Contact Information
Professor and Program Director
David Whitney (he/him)
2121 Berkeley Way, Room 3129