Introduction

Concentration Advisor
Fulvio Domini(Fulvio_Domini@Brown.Edu, x32462)

Cognitive Science is the study of mental abilities such as perception, action, speech, memory, thinking, and language, and their bases in the brain, using scientific methods of experimentation, computational modeling, and brain imaging. The undergraduate concentration is designed to provide a flexible interdisciplinary approach with four areas of emphasis: perception, cognition, language, and cognitive neuroscience. Course work in related departments is encouraged. A Cognitive Science degree provides excellent preparation for careers in the sciences, computer fields, health professions, law, and education.

The A.B. program is primarily for students interested in studying human mental processes. The Sc.B. program is intended for students who also have strong interests in an affiliated area such as artificial intelligence, computational modeling, or cognitive neuroscience. Prospective concentrators should register for CG 1 preferably in their freshman or sophomore year.

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Standard Program for the A.B. Degree: 13 Courses

A. Introduction
1. CG 001

B. Required core courses
1. Cognition (CG 42)
2. Language (CG 41)
3. Perception (CG 44)
4. Cognitive Neuroscience (CG 129, PY 110, or BN 1)

C. Required courses in skills and methodology
1. Lab course (CG 102, CG 124, CG 144, CG 153, or CG 161)
2. Basic computation course (CS 4, CS 15, CS 17, or CS 18)
3. Statistics (CG/PY 9 or AM 165)

D. Capstone
1. Senior Seminar (CG 195)

E. Electives
Four additional electives chosen from the list of relevant courses below. Electives would in most cases include four 100-level courses, and should show coherence and provide the concentrator with depth in one or more focus areas.

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Requirements for the Sc.B. Program

A. All of the requirements for the A.B. degree.

B. Independent study (CG 198)

C. A coherent program of at least four additional courses in the life sciences (e.g., cognitive science, psychology, biology), physical sciences, mathematics, and/or applied mathematics that supports the student's area(s) of study. Many acceptable supporting science programs are possible, and the student should work out her/his program in consultation with the concentration advisor.


ELECTIVE FOCUS AREAS
Course offerings are listed below by areas of study in which the program has particular strengths. Students may also form concentrations that cut across these areas. Below are several examples, which students should use as a guide.

Cognitive Development:
CG 42, 63, 118, 119, 143, 147, 152, 161, 162, 188;AN 139; ED 80 158 171; BN 104

Cognitive Neuroscience:
CG 42, 102, 119, 129, 148, 150, 153; BN 103; PY 47, 75, 140, 181; PL 177

Computational/Neural Modeling:
CG 102, 120, 129, 136; BN 101, 168; CS 51, 141; AM 40, 136

Human Cognition:
CG 42, 50, 63, 118, 129, 152, 153, 186, 187, 188; CS 141; AN 139; PL 155, 177; PY 140

Neurolinguistics:
CG 32, 41, 124, 145, 147, 148, 150; BN 101

Perception and Action:
CG 44, 116, 120, 154; BN 103; BI 45, 116, 140; PY 50; AM 136

Psycholinguistics:
CG 41, 45, 111, 121, 123, 124, 131, 141, 142, 143, 145, 147, 174; AN 80, 180
Any A.B. program that focuses mainly on language and cognition, can by arrangement, receive the designation "Cognitive Science-Psycholinguistics."

Theoretical Linguistics:
CG 41, 87, 111, 113, 131, 136, 142, 171; CS 16, 22, 51, 141, 152, 241; AM 165, 166

Vision:
CG 44, 120, 154, 186; PY 27, 185; BN 66

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Degrees with Honors

Students interested in honors under either the A.B. or ScB. programs should identify a faculty honors sponsor and sign up with the concentration advisor during Semester 6. Although there is no minimum gradepoint average to enter the program, admission to the program is limited to students who have accumulated a strong academic record and is at the discretion of the department. It is expected that honors candidates will conduct a year-long research project under the direction of a faculty sponsor culminating in a written thesis and oral examination at the end of Semester 8. Students doing honors work may enroll for CG198 for two terms.

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Independent Study

Independent study is encouraged for the A.B. degree and required for the Sc.B. degree. Students in either program should sign up for CG198 with a faculty advisor who is a member of the Department of Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences. Arrangements should be made in Semester 6 for students expecting to do independent study during Semesters 7 and/or 8.

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Comments

Both the A.B. and the Sc.B programs in Cognitive Science reflect recent national trends in the field and the breadth of the course offerings and faculty research interests at Brown. A broadly trained cognitive scientist must possess certain methodological skills, including knowledge of computational methods and research methods (statistics and laboratory techniques), which are incorporated in our skills and methodology requirement. In addition, a cognitive scientist must be conversant in the four major focus areas studied in the field: perception, cognition, languages and cognitive neuroscience. Electives ensure that concentrators have the opportunity to investigate at least one particular area in depth. Finally, the concentration provides an integrative experience to all of its concentrators through the capstone senior seminar. The program is designed to provide the flexibility for each student to design a program that will meet her/his needs and interests

The Sc.B. program is designed for students who wish to bring a stronger background in general science and a research orientation to their study of cognition. Such background is particularly important for students wishing to emphasize cognitive neuroscience, artificial intelligence, or other computational approaches to the study of cognition. Sc.B. candidates must also acquire first-hand experience in doing cognitive science research through an independent study project.

 

ELECTIVES

(Because of changing availability, this list varies from year to year. Other courses may occasionally be substituted with permission of the concentration advisor.)
Anthropology 20 Culture and Human Behavior
Anthropology 80 Sound and Symbols: Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology
Anthropology 139 Culture and Cognition
Anthropology 180 Sociolinguistics

Biology and Medicine 45 Animal Behavior: Ecological and Evolutionary Determinants
Biology and Medicine 48 Evolutionary Biology
Biology and Medicine 116 Principles of Exercise Physiology
Biology and Medicine 140 Evolutionary and Ecological Determinants of Animal Behavior

BioMed-Neuroscience 1 The Brain: An Introduction to Neuroscience
BioMed-Neuroscience 65 Biology of Hearing
BioMed-Neuroscience 66 Biology of Vision
BioMed-Neuroscience 103 Neural Systems
BioMed-Neuroscience 104 Developmental Neurobiology
BioMed-Neuroscience 105 Cognitive Neuroscience

BioMed-Neuroscience 168 Computational Neuroscience

Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 7 Language, Truth, and Advertising
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 11 Perception, Illusion, and the Visual Arts
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 32 The Biology and Evolution of Language
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 45 Language and the Mind
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 50 Making Decisions
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 63 Children's Thinking: The Nature of Cognitive Development
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 87 Language in Africa

Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 88 Meaning and Thought
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 102 Neural Modelling Laboratory
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 111 Introduction to Semantics
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 112 Lexical Semantics
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 113 Formal Semantics
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 116 Human Factors
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 118 Cognitive Development

Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 119 Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 120 Computational Vision
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 121 Introduction to Phonological Theory
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 123 The Production, Perception, and Analysis of Speech
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 124 Research Methods in Physiological and Acoustic Phonetics
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 129 Understanding the Brain
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 131 Introduction to Syntax
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 136 Introduction to Computational Linguistics
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 138 Ecological Approach to Perception and Action
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 141 Language Processing
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 142 Syntactic Theory and Syntactic Processing
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 143 Child Language Acquisition
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 144 Visualizing Vision Lab
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 147 Language Learning Disorders
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 148 Language and the Brain
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 150 Subcortical Brain Bases of Language and Thought
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 152 Thinking
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 153 Laboratory in Cognitive Processes
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 154 Evolution of Perceptual Systems

Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 156 Human Memory and Learning
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 161 Laboratory in Cognitive Development
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 162 Infant Cognition and Perception
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 163 Topics in Phonology
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 164 Topics in Syntax and Semantics
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 167 Advanced Quantitative Methods
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 174 Topics in Language Acquisition

Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 184 Topics in Language Processing
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 186 Topics in Cognitive Science
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 187 Categorization
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 188 Reasoning and Problem Solving

Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 194 The Cognitive and Neural Basis of High-Level Vision
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 197 Topics in Computational Linguistics
Cognitive & Linguistic Sci. 198 Independent Study

Computer Science 22 Introduction to Discrete Mathematics
Computer Science 51 Models of Computation
Computer Science 123 Introduction to Computer Graphics
Computer Science 141 Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
Computer Science 148 Building Intelligent Robots

Engineering 122 NeuroEngineering
Engineering 157 Linear System Analysis
Engineering 158 Communication Systems
Engineering 166 Automatic Control Systems

Philosophy 2 Mind and Matter

Philosophy 21 Science, Perception, and Reality
Philosophy 36 Early Modern Philosophy
Philosophy 54 Logic
Philosophy 155 Decision Theory: Foundations and Applications
Philosophy 163 Advanced Deductive Logic
Philosophy 170 British Empiricism
Philosophy 175 Epistemology

Philosophy 176 Philosophy of Language
Philosophy 177 Philosophy of Mind

Psychology 27 Perception
Psychology 47 Brain Damage and the Mind
Psychology 50 Animal Behavior
Psychology 75 Principles of Behavioral Neuroscience
Psychology 81 Child Development
Psychology 119 Sensory Systems
Psychology 140 Human Memory
Psychology 151 Social Cognition
Psychology 173 Seminar in Social Psychology: Stereotypes and Intergroup Relations
Psychology 175 Animal Communication
Psychology 178 Psychological Acoustics
Psychology 179 Psychology of Timing
Psychology 180 Animal Cognition
Psychology 181 Seminar in Cognitive Neuroscience
Psychology 185 Motion Perception

Other related courses may be offered if they fit into an integrated program, but such substitutions must be approved in advance by the Concentration Advisor.


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