Neuroscience 3680 - Cognitive NeuroscienceDr. Matthew Tata
- Techniques of Cognitive Neuroscience- Some functional anatomy
- Vision- Attention and Executive Functions- Memory- Language- Consciousness
Foundations
The Brain in Action
The Plan
- Cognitive Neuroscience, Second or Third Edition by Gazzaniga, Ivry and Mangun
Text
Evaluation• Mid-Term 1 25% Oct. 10 in class• Mid-Term 2 25% Nov. 12 in class• Final 25% Dec. 12 9:00 – 12:00• Project 25% Due in last class
Midterms will be in-class, location of final T.B.A.
Evaluation• Project will be a written research proposal
describing a research question, a theory that potentially answers this question and an experiment to test that theory…more details in the coming weeks
GradesYour final Letter grade will be calculated as follows:Percentage Letter Grade90-100 A+84-89 A80-83 A-77-79 B+73-76 B70-72 B-67-69 C+63-66 C60-62 C-55-59 D+50-54 D<50 F
Rounding will be by convention except when I decide otherwise!
Interaction• My Office hours: immediately after class
• Email: [email protected]– Rules: – 1. No emailing the night before a test– 2. You must try to answer your question on
your own first before emailing me…trust me
• Cognition = Interpreting, using and storing information by the mind
What is Cognitive Neuroscience?
• Cognition = “Representing”, interpreting, using and storing information by the mind
• Neuroscience = the study of the nervous system
What is Cognitive Neuroscience?
• Cognition = “Representing”, interpreting, using and storing information by the mind
• Neuroscience = the study of the nervous system
• Cognitive Neuroscience = the study of the neurobiology that underlies (creates?) cognition
What is Cognitive Neuroscience?
• Cognition = “Representing”, interpreting, using and storing information by the mind
• Neuroscience = the study of the nervous system
• Cognitive Neuroscience = the study of the neurobiology that underlies (creates?) cognition
What is Cognitive Neuroscience?
So why isn’t all Neuroscience “Cognitive Neuroscience”?
Topics we will (try) to cover
• Methods of Cognitive Neuroscience• Perception (Mainly Vision)• Attention• Memory• Language• Consciousness
Important Stuff that we won’t cover (but you should know)
• Some of the history of neuroscience (Chapter 1)
• Neurons and how they work (Chapter 2)• Basic Gross Anatomy (Chapter 3)
– We will go into some functional anatomy in detail
The Methods of Cognitive Neuroscience
• How many of you have heard the statement that you only use 10% of your brain?
The Methods of Cognitive Neuroscience
• How many of you have heard the statement that you only use 10% of your brain?
• What do you suppose this means? Would that be a bad thing?
The Methods of Cognitive Neuroscience
• How many of you have heard the statement that you only use 10% of your brain?
• What do you suppose this means? Would that be a bad thing?
• Is it true? How could you know?
The Methods of Cognitive Neuroscience
• Next time: Goals and Techniques
