Cognitive Neuroscience. 3 Credit Hours

Catalog description

Cognitive Neuroscience deals with the neural basis of cognition and behavior, including considerations of perception, attention, motor control, language, learning, memory, executive function, spatial cognition, emotion, and social cognition. It also presents discussions on neurocognitive development and the evolution of the human brain. Unlike courses in basic neuroscience, this course has a more human focus, presenting in-depth discussions of neuroimaging techniques and literature. In addition, it focuses on psychological models of cognitive function derived from psychological experimentation, human lesion studies, and computational modeling. Cognitive Neuroscience presents an integrated view of the psychology and neurobiology of human cognition and behavior. By the end of the semester, students will have had the opportunity to: (1) become highly familiar with the structure of the human nervous system; (2) become conversant about the physical basis and limitations of neuroimaging techniques; (3) become familiar with the principal brain areas thought to be involved in a host of human cognitive competencies and behaviors, including perception, action, emotion, and language; and (4) understand how psychological theory and neural theory come together to form the foundation of cognitive neuroscience.