PSY3090

Cognitive science

Dr Greg Yelland and Dr Wendy McKenzie

6 points - Two 1-hour lectures and 4 hours laboratory-related activity per week - First semester - Clayton - Prerequisites: PSY2011 and PSY2022 (or related cognitive units from philosophy or computer science as approved by the head of department)

Objectives On completion of this subjects students will have acquired a specialist knowledge of issues underpinning the modern discipline of cognitive science, including areas such as memory, psycholinguistics, sensory systems, and artificial intelligence; will have become familiar with contemporary research and theoretical issues in cognitive science, and have developed the skills necessary to critically appraise the current literature; will have been exposed to the range of research tools and paradigms used within the different domains of cognitive science, and have acquired the necessary skills to apply these techniques to selected, but diverse research problems; and will have further developed skills relating to research design and statistical analysis, written and oral communication, and the use of modern information technologies, that have been fostered throughout the undergraduate psychology program, with particular emphasis on the relevance of these skills to the field of cognitive science.

Synopsis In the past, cognitive psychology has engaged in the development of models of human mental function that have primarily defined the relationship between a range of mental processes on the knowledge structures upon which they act. For the most part, this has been done with little reflection on whether these models are neurobiologically plausible. More recently, the field of Cognitive Science has adopted a multi-disciplinary approach to the study of cognitive function in an attempt to address this issue. It endeavours to map models of the cognitive architecture of the mind on to the neural architecture of the brain to provide models of mental function that have both psychological and neurobiological reality. This unit takes a multi-disciplinary approach and examines the relationship between existing models of cognitive function and the underlying neural substrate. Following an introduction to the fundamental properties of cognitive and neural architecture, the lectures will focus on a specific issues within the domains of sensory, memory and language systems. In addition, laboratory workshops will introduce students to developments in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), expert systems and artificial neural networks and the role these might play in the development of models of the cognitive-neural interface.

Assessment One 2-hour examination: 40% - 2000-word theoretical essay: 20% - Laboratory test: 10% - Project presentation: 5% - Laboratory journal: 25%

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