Courses of Study 2019-2020 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
Courses of Study 2019-2020 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Cognitive Science


In the College of Arts and Sciences .

 

Course Offerings  

Cognitive Science comprises a number of disciplines that are linked by a major concern with fundamental capacities of the mind, such as perception, memory, reasoning, language, the organization of motor action, and their neural correlates. In the College of Arts and Sciences these disciplines are represented in the Information Science Program and departments of Computer Science, Economics, Linguistics, Mathematics, Neurobiology and Behavior, Philosophy, Psychology, and Sociology. Elsewhere in the university they are represented in the departments of Mechanical and Computer Engineering, and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (College of Engineering); the departments of Design and Environmental Analysis and Human Development (College of Human Ecology); the departments of Communication and Education (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences); and the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management.

The issues addressed in Cognitive Science arise at several levels. At the broadest level are problems of characterizing such basic notions as “mind,” “knowledge,” “information,” and “meaning.” At a more specific level are questions regarding the abstract operating principles of individual components of the mind, such as those underlying visual perception, language ability, and understanding of concepts. These principles concern the organization and behavior of the components and how they are biologically represented in the brain. At the most specific level are questions about the properties of the elementary computational structures and processes that constitute these components.

Important insights into issues of these kinds have been achieved in recent years as a result of the various Cognitive Science disciplines converging in their theoretical and methodological approaches. It is this convergence, in fact, that warrants grouping the disciplines together under the single term “Cognitive Science.” Even greater progress can be expected in the future as a consequence of increasing cooperation among the disciplines.

Website: cogsci.cornell.edu

Faculty


M. Christiansen (psychology) and Tamar Kushnir (human development), directors. G. Gay, D. Schrader (communication); E. Andersen, C. Cardie, J. Halpern, T. Joachims, L. Lee, B. Selman, R. Zabih (computer science); G. Evans, A. Hedge (design and environmental analysis); K. Basu, L. Blume, D. Easley (economics); A. Anderson, C. Brainerd, D. Casasanto, M. Casasola, S. Ceci, T. Kushnir, V. Reyna, S. Robertson, R. Sternberg, Q. Wang, E. Wethington, W. Williams (human development); T. Choudhury, H. Hirsh, D. Mimno (information science); J. Bowers, A. Cohn, M. Diesing, S. Murray, M. Rooth, S. Tilsen, J. Whitman, D. Zec (linguistics); K. O’Connor and J. Russo (management); A. Nerode, R. Shore (mathematics); J. Goldberg, R. Harris-Warrick, R. Hoy, C. Linster (neurobiology and behavior); H. Hodes, D. Pereboom, N. Silins, W. Starr (philosophy); T. Cleland, J. Cutting, T. DeVoogd, S. Edelman, M. Ferguson, D. Field, T. Gilovich, M. Goldstein, K. Kinzler, C. Krumhansl, A. Ophir, D. Pizarro, K. Swallow, V. Zayas (psychology); Laurent Dubreuil (romance studies); R. Canfield (human ecology) and S. Hertz (linguistics), associate members. R. Darlington, J. Dunn, J. Gair, W. Harbert, H. Howland, B. Lust, S. McConnell-Ginet, W. Harbert, H. Howland, R. Ripple, S. Shoemaker (emeriti)

Undergraduate Minor


An interdisciplinary undergraduate minor in Cognitive Science is available to Cornell University undergraduates in the College of Arts and Sciences. Students from other colleges who seek such a minor are welcome to do so and need only approval from their college’s registrar.

The undergraduate minor in Cognitive Science is designed to enable students to engage in a structured program directly related to the scientific study of cognition and the mind. The minor provides a framework for the design of structured, supervised programs of study in this growing interdisciplinary field. Such programs of study serve as complements to course work in a single discipline as represented by an individual department. It is considered crucial that students gain a strong background in their major, independent of their work in the minor. Independent majors and college scholars may also apply. Colleges vary in their procedures for formal recognition of this minor (contact the Cognitive Science office for details). The Cognitive Science Program faculty have designed five structured “tracks” that offer students different ways of satisfying the minor. In addition, students are always able to construct their own programs of study subject to approval by their minor advisor. The courses listed under each track are program suggestions. The student should consult his or her Cognitive Science advisor to develop a more customized curriculum. In some cases, students may want to combine or cross tracks.

In general, it is expected that students in the minor will take COGST 1101  or COGST 3140  as their introductory course requirement; either COGST 4120 , or COGST 4700  as their lab course requirement; and three courses at the 3000- and 4000-level in at least two departments (or certain suitable 2000-level courses by petition). Courses are to be chosen by student and advisor to provide a coherent program. Even though only five courses are required to complete the minor, we assume students interested in Cognitive Science will often end up taking more. An independent research project (e.g., COGST 4700  if this is not used to satisfy the lab requirement) and a research workshop (COGST 4710 ) are encouraged. Please note: minor modifications to this outline may be made in extenuating circumstances by the advisor, in consultation with the program director.

The five typical tracks are as follows. Note that many of these courses might have prerequisites.

1. Perception and Cognition


This track focuses on psychological, computational, and neurobiological approaches to the interface between perception and cognition. Students will develop a grasp of the continuum between sensory impressions and complex thought.

2. Language and Cognition


This track focuses on the representation, processing, and acquisition and learning of language, as well as its role in cognition and culture. Students will acquire skills and knowledge in formal and applied linguistic theory, psycholinguistic experimentation, and computational modeling techniques.

3. Cognition and Information Processing


This track focuses on how the mind (or a computer) can encode, represent, and store information. Students will develop an understanding of concepts, categories, memory, and the nature of information itself.

4. Cognitive Neuroscience


This track focuses on neurobiological and computational approaches to understanding how perception and cognition emerge in the human brain. Students will acquire knowledge of what neural structures subserve, what perceptual/cognitive processes, and how they interact.

5. Independent Study


With approval from the Cognitive Science undergraduate curriculum committee, a student and advisor in the Cognitive Science program can arrange their own unique collection of courses that do not belong to the above categories for satisfying the minor requirements.

Additional Information


Students who complete the minor requirements will have their minor in Cognitive Science officially represented on their transcript. In addition, students who have made substantial progress toward completing the requirements for the minor will be eligible for enrollment in the graduate courses in Cognitive Science during their senior year.

Colloquia. The field sponsors a series of lectures and colloquia by internationally recognized scholars. Students are encouraged to meet with the speakers for informal discussion during their visits.

Film Series. Each spring the program hosts Sprocket, the Cognitive Science Film Series in conjunction with COGST 1101 . The evening, complete with pizza and conversation, is free and open to the Cornell community.

Funding. Travel funding for conferences and workshops is available to minor students.

The Cognitive Science Undergraduate Computer Laboratory (201 Uris Hall). The lab is available for all Cognitive Science minors. This facility provides a central location for developing and conducting experimental research in Cognitive Science. (Contact the cog sci office to gain access to lab.)

Minor Application Procedures. Inquiries concerning the undergraduate minor should be made to the Cognitive Science program manager, Julie Simmons-Lynch, jes257@cornell.edu, (607) 255-6431, who will provide application materials.

To formally initiate the minor in Cognitive Science, a student must meet with the program manager to select courses that form a coherent cluster for eventual approval by an advisor.

In addition to assisting in the student’s selection of courses, the program manager and/or an advisor serve as a general source of information about the field of Cognitive Science, independent research, and relevant resources around the university.

The current director of undergraduate studies is Tamar Kushnir, human development, tk397@cornell.edu.

Graduate Minor


Instructions for Application and Formal Entry to the Cognitive Science Field Minor:  1. Choose a member of the graduate field of the Cognitive Science faculty who you would like to work with in structuring and conducting this minor field. 2. Obtain permission from this faculty member and from your special committee for the addition of this minor to your studies. (Since Cognitive Science is a minor field, this faculty member may not be the chair of your major.) 3. You’ll need to make this change, and/or any committee updates, on your Student Center page.*

Courses. All cognitive science graduate minor students must take at least two 6,000-level courses: some 4,000-level courses will be allowed with the approval of your minor committee member.  One course should be taught outside your discipline (in another cognitive science affiliated department); the other is the required COGST 6101  (spring). This course surveys the study of how the mind/brain works, drawing primarily from six disciplines: philosophy, psychology, developmental science, neuroscience, linguistics, and computer science. Although at least two courses are required, we encourage you to take more courses offered by the program. Please email the program manager with your course choices for approval.

Colloquia. Graduate students who are interested in cognition and in the cognitive sciences are encouraged to attend cognitive science colloquia throughout the school year. The field sponsors a series of lectures by internationally recognized scholars. Students are invited to meet with the speakers for informal discussion during their visits.

Film Series. Each spring the program hosts Sprocket, the Cognitive Science Film Series in conjunction with COGST 1101 . The evening, complete with pizza and conversation, is free and open to the Cornell community.

Funding. Travel funding for conferences and workshops is available to minor students.

Grad Convo/Info Blitz. The Annual Grad Convo/Info Blitz lunch is held each May in order for students to share their research with peers and faculty.

*This is a minor field. Application for admission is made only to the major fields. After matriculation, a student may select minor subjects from the major or minor fields.

For more information, consult the program manager, Julie Simmons-Lynch, jes257@cornell.edu, 278a Uris Hall, (607) 255-6431 or the director of graduate studies, Morten Christiansen, mhc27@cornell.edu.