Biological Foundations of Behavior (CMU 85-219)
This course will provide students with a general introduction to the underlying biological principles and mechanisms which give rise to complex human cognitive, perceptual and emotional behavior. Topics to be covered include: the anatomical structure of nerve cells and how they communicate, properties of brain organization and function, processing in sensory and motor systems, biological characteristics of human cognition, and neural and hormonal influences on health and emotion. This course will focus on how emerging methods and approaches are beginning to make it possible for psychologists, computer scientists, and biologists to gain an integrated understanding of complex behavior.
Discovery of Spoken Language (CMU 85-455)
This class will explore an extraordinary feat almost universally
accomplished by humans - the acquisition of spoken language. We will focus
on the very early perceptual and cognitive skills that infants develop in
acquiring speech perception and production. In our explorations of the
discovery of spoken language, we will explore language and speech as domains
of empirical study, we will examine prenatal and postnatal development of
the skills that support the discovery of spoken language, we will survey
commonly used methods and we will examine the important perceptual and
cognitive skills infants develop in acquiring spoken language. Throughout
the course, there will be emphasis on critical evaluation of theoretical
interpretations.
Research Methods in Cognitive Psychology (CMU 85-310)
This is a course in which students develop the research skills associated
with cognitive psychology and cognitive science. Students learn how to
design and conduct experiments, and analyze and interpret the data they collect.
The course covers a variety of experimental designs, e.g., factorial, Latin
Squares. Analyses of response times, qualitative data, and signal detection
are also covered. Cognitive modeling will also be discussed. Topics include
mental imagery, memory, and perception. The class format consists of lectures,
discussions and student presentations.
Prerequisites: (36-309) and (85-211 or 85-213).
Music and Mind: The Cognitive Neuroscience of Sound (CMU 85-356)
This course will take a multidisciplinary approach to understand the neural systems that contribute to auditory perception and cognition, using music and speech as domains of inquiry. Students will master topics in acoustics, psychophysics, cognitive psychology, cognitive development, neurophysiology, and neuropsychology. The early part of the course will provide students with a common foundation in acoustics, signal processing, and auditory neuroscience. Later in the semester, the focus will turn to developing analytical skills through critical evaluation of primary-source experimental literature. Hands-on laboratories and homework sets in sound manipulation and experimentation also will constitute a means of learning about auditory cognitive neuroscience. Throughout, the focus will be upon understanding general cognitive and perceptual challenges in perceiving and producing complex sounds like speech and music. Topics may include biological vs. cultural influences, development in infancy, perception versus production, time perception, effects of experience on perceptual processing, comparative studies of animals, attention, development of expertise, effects of brain damage, and emotional expression. Topics will be addressed from the perspective of cognitive neuroscience, in that we will attempt to understand the neural processes that give rise to auditory perception and cognition.
Prerequisites: (85211 or 85219 or 85370) AND (85310 or 85320 or 85340)
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