Cognitive Science
Faculty
Introduction
Major in Cognitive Science—B.A.
Minor in Cognitive Science
Departmental Honors Program
Course Descriptions
Courses Related to Cognitive Science
Faculty
Director and Luther Dana Waterman Professor of Psychology
Professor Richard M. Shiffrin
Assistant Director and Professor of Cognitive Science and Computer Science, and Adjunct Professor of Philosophy
Brian Cantwell Smith
College Professor of Cognitive Science and Computer Science
Douglas Hofstadter
Chancellors' Professor of Psychology
David B. Pisoni
Chancellors' Professor of Psychology
Linda Smith
Eleanor Cox Riggs Professor and Chair of Psychology, Program in Neural Science
Joseph E. Steinmetz
Rudy Professor of Philosophy
Anil Gupta
Rudy Professor of Psychology
James T. Townsend
Oscar R. Ewing Professor
J. Michael Dunn (Philosophy, Computer Science)
Arthur F. Bentley Professor of Political Science
Elinor Ostrom
Professors
Myles Brand (President, Philosophy), Jerome Busemeyer (Psychology), Nino Cocchiarella (Philosophy), Gary Chronkhite (Speech Communication and Semiotic Studies), Donald Cunningham (School of Education), Thomas Duffy (School of Education), Russell Fazio (Psychology), Steven Franks (Slavic Languages and Literatures, Linguistics), Judith Geirut (Speech and Hearing Sciences), Robert Goldstone (Psychology), Andrew Hanson (Computer Science), Diane Kewley-Port (Speech and Hearing Sciences), Frank Lester (School of Education), Daniel Maki (Mathematics), Michael McRobbie (Computer Science, Philosophy), Harold Morris (School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation), Robert Nosofsky (Psychology), Richard Olshavsky (Kelley School of Business), Christopher Peebles (Anthropology), Robert Port (Computer Science, Linguistics), Steven Sherman (Psychology), Esther Thelen (Psychology), Larry Thibos (School of Optometry), William Timberlake (Psychology), Charles Watson (Speech and Hearing Sciences), Wayne Winston (Kelley School of Business)
Associate Professors
Geoffrey P. Bingham (Psychology), Arthur Bradley (School of Optometry), Andrew Dillon (School of Library and Information Science), Michael Gasser (Computer Science, Linguistics), Eric Isaacson (School of Music), John Kruschke (Psychology), David Leake (Computer Science), David C. McCarty (Philosophy), Jonathan Mills (Computer Science), Lawrence Moss (Mathematics), Gregory J. E. Rawlins (Computer Science)
Assistant Professors
Thomas Busey (Psychology), Kenneth de Jong (Linguistics), Karen Iler Kirk (Otolaryngology, IUPUI), Kelly Mix (Psychology), Julie Stout (Psychology)
Associate Scientist
Gary Kidd (Speech and Hearing Sciences)
Academic Advising
Melinda Stephan, Psychology 341, (812) 855-4658
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Introduction
The Department of Cognitive Science (COGS) explores the nature of intelligent systems. At its core, the program focuses on formal theories of mind and information. The field is inherently interdisciplinary, with contributions from computer science, psychology, philosophy, neuroscience, linguistics, biology, anthropology, and other fields. Both natural intelligence in humans and artificial intelligence fall within the scope of inquiry. The field deals with aspects of complex cognition, computational models of thought processing, knowledge representation, dynamics of real-world engagement, and emergent behavior of large-scale interacting systems.
Goals of the Cognitive Science Program include a better understanding of mind, learning and teaching, cognitive skills, and the development of intelligent systems designed to augment human capacities in constructive ways.
The Cognitive Science Program is structured to give students fundamental skills, applicable in a wide variety of information-related careers: psychology, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, telecommunications, information processing, medical analysis, data representation and information retrieval, education, scientific research, human-computer interaction, multimedia, knowledge management, and information policy. The skills also have wide applicability in: technical and expository writing, mathematical analysis, experimental techniques, and computer programming.
Students interested in a cognitive science degree are encouraged to take advantage of services and opportunities that complement their academic study: advising, colloquium series, internships, research, the Student Organization for Cognitive Science (SOCS), and a free technical report series.
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Major in Cognitive Science—B.A.
The underlying aim of the program is two-fold: (1) to give students a solid grounding in the formal and conceptual tools needed to understand and conduct research in cognitive science; and (2) to foster depth in a particular area. Students must satisfy four requirements. First, they must demonstrate mastery of fundamental skills by completing a set of four coordinated cognitive science core courses. Second, they must concentrate in a particular aspect of cognitive science by completing a sequence of three courses within a particular area of study. Third, they must demonstrate a breadth of knowledge across other contributing areas of cognitive science. Finally, they must complete a senior seminar course that will serve as a capstone for the degree program.
Requirements
In addition to the degree requirements for the B.A. degree in the College of Arts and Sciences, students must complete the following
- CORE: The four-course sequence: Q240, Q250, Q260, and Q270
- CONCENTRATION: Three courses in one of the following areas: cognition, computation, foundations, language, logic, and neuroscience. Of these three courses, at least two must be at or above the 200 level, and at least one at or above the 300 level.
The following courses are pre-approved for the six concentrations:
Cognition: Psychology P101/P151 or P106, P211, P325, P329, P330, P335, P350, P424, P435, P438, P443.
Computation: Computer Science C211, C212, C241, C311, C335, C341, C343, B351/Q351 (or their honors equivalents).
Foundations: Philosophy P310, P312, P320, P360, P366.
Language: Linguistics L303, L306, L307, L308, L310, L325, L430, L490, Psychology P438.
Logic: Philosophy P250, P251, P252, P350.
Neuroscience: Cognitive Science Q301; Psychology P101/P151 or P106, P211, P326, P407, P410, P411, P423, P426.
In addition to these pre-approved concentrations, other specialized concentrations may be designed by individual students and submitted for approval to the cognitive science undergraduate curriculum committee.
- BREADTH: At least one approved course related to cognitive science from each of the four main cognitive science departments: Computer Science, Linguistics, Philosophy, and Psychology. Courses from those departments included on the list at the end of this section are pre-approved. Courses from those four departments not on the list, or on the list but from other departments, must be approved, on an individual basis, by the cognitive science undergraduate curriculum committee. Note: courses used to satisfy the concentration requirement may also be used to satisfy this breadth requirement.
- SENIOR SEMINAR: Students must complete COGS Q400 Senior Seminar in the Cognitive and Information Sciences.
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Minor in Cognitive Science
The minor in cognitive science consists of 19 credit hours including:
- CORE: The four-course sequence: Q240, Q250, Q260, and Q270.
- ELECTIVE: At least one additional course related to cognitive science, at the 300 level or above, of a minimum of 3 credit hours, from outside the student's major department or program, to be approved by the Department of Cognitive Science undergraduate advisor. Note: It is recommended, but not required, that this fifth course be: COGS Q301: Brain and Cognition (3 cr.).
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Departmental Honors Program
Students who, in addition to fulfilling the requirements for the major in cognitive science, also carry out an independent project and an honors thesis, may be eligible for honors in cognitive science. Application for admission to the cognitive science honors program may be made during the sophomore or junior year to the Director of Undergraduate Studies in cognitive science. Students must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.3 to be eligible for consideration and must maintain this minimum average to graduate with honors. Students must take Q499. The honors thesis must be certified by a committee of at least three faculty members. The committee director and at least one other member must be Cognitive Science Program faculty. Students who wish to combine honors projects in cognitive science and another department or program may apply to both areas, and every attempt will be made to accommodate such a plan.
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Course Descriptions
Q200 Information Representation (3 cr.) The basic structure of information representation in social and scientific applications is the topic of this course. It presents an overview of representational structures and approaches from many disciplines including information representation on the World Wide Web, object-oriented design, relational databases, and AI knowledge representation and discovery. This is not a programming course. All topics will be explained independent of an actual programming language.
Q240 Philosophical Foundations of the Cognitive and Information Sciences (4 cr.) NMMC Foundational introduction to the cognitive and information sciences. The primary themes are: (1) causal issues such as functional and computational architecture (e.g., modularity, effectiveness, and implementation, analog/digital), neuroscience, and embodied dynamics; and (2) semantic issues such as meaning, representation, content, and information flow. The role of both themes in logic, perception, computation, cognition, and consciousness. Throughout, an emphasis on writing, analysis, and exposition.
Q250 Mathematics and Logic for the Cognitive and Information Sciences (4 cr.) NMMC P: mastery of two years of high school algebra or the equivalent. An introduction to the suite of mathematical and logical tools used in the cognitive and information sciences, including finite mathematics, automata and computability theory, elementary probability, and statistics, together with short introductions to formal semantics and dynamical systems.
Q260 Computation in the Cognitive and Information Sciences (4 cr.) NMMC P: mastery of two years of high school algebra or the equivalent. Students will become skilled users of computers and computer programs of various sorts and will learn to program computers to run simulations of cognitive processes. The nature of computation, the relation between computation and intelligence, and a selection of approaches from artificial intelligence will be explored.
Q270 Experiments and Models in Cognition (4 cr.) NMMC P: mastery of two years of high school algebra or the equivalent. This course develops tools for studying mind and intelligence, including experimental techniques, and mathematical and computational models of human behavior. Topics include neural structures for cognition, attention, perception, memory, problem solving, judgment, decision making, and consciousness. Students will design and analyze laboratory experiments and apply formal models to the results.
Q301 Brain and Cognition (3 cr.) NMMC R: PSY P101. An introduction to neural mechanisms underlying complex cognition, and a survey of topics in neuroscience related to cognition. The course provides a solid background in human biopsychology. If Q301 is not offered in a given year, PSY P423 Human Neuropsychology may substitute for this course.
Q351 Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Computer Simulation (3 cr.) NMMC P: CSCI C211 or consent of instructor. A survey of techniques for machine intelligence and their relation to human intelligence. Topics include modeling techniques, neural networks and parallel processing systems, problem-solving methods, knowledge representation, expert systems, vision, heuristics, production systems, speech perception and natural language understanding. Students who have completed both C463 and C464 are exempted from taking this course. Credit will not be given for both COGS Q351 and CSCI B351.
Q400 Senior Seminar in Cognitive and Information Sciences (2 cr.) P: four classes from Q240, Q250, Q260, Q270, and Q301. This course is intended for students who have completed or nearly completed their cognitive science coursework. Students will apply previously acquired analytic, computational, mathematical, and experimental skills to independent research projects. Discussion and research topics may include consciousness, representation, artificial life, modularity, neural networks, functionalism and embodiment, dynamical systems, learning and innateness, human-computer interaction, cognitive neuroscience, robotics, and adaptive systems.
Q450 Topics in the Cognitive and Information Sciences (3 cr.) In-depth special topics not ordinarily covered in other departmental courses. Topics vary with instructor and semester. May be repeated once with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
Q495 Project in the Cognitive and Information Sciences (1-3 cr.) P: consent of instructor. Students will conduct a research project in the cognitive and information sciences by designing, conducting, and analyzing an independent experiment; by developing and testing a computer simulation of some aspect of cognition; or by otherwise engaging in a program of original research. Projects must be approved in advance and supervised by the instructor. May be repeated (for the same or a different project) for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
Q496 Internship in Professional Practice (1-6 cr.) P: sophomore standing or 15 credit hours completed in cognitive science major or minor, and approval by the Cognitive Science Program. Professional work experience in an industry or research organization setting, using skills/knowledge acquired in cognitive science course work. Requires learning contract. Evaluation by site supervisor and Cognitive Science Program. Does not count toward major or minor requirements; elective credit only. May be repeated for a total of 6 credit hours. S/F grading.
Q498 Readings in the Cognitive and Information Sciences (1-3 cr.) P: consent of instructor. Tutorial study in specialized topics of the cognitive and information sciences. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
Q499 Honors Research Project in the Cognitive and Information Sciences (3 cr.) P: an Honors Committee approved by the Cognitive Science Program. Methods of research in cognitive science are analyzed. Students present their projects for discussion and analysis. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credit hours.
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Courses Related to Cognitive Science
The following courses in other departments are considered to lie within the scope of cognitive science. Those marked with an asterisk are pre-approved to meet concentration requirements (see above). Others may be used by students to petition for individual specialized concentrations or simply to broaden the student's cognitive science training. The Cognitive Science Program maintains a longer list of courses from across the campus that students may find useful in complementing their coursework. With permission from the Director of Undergraduate Studies, students may use courses from this extended list toward degree requirements. See the Undergraduate Advisor for an updated copy of this list.
Computer Science
A201 Introduction to Programming I (4 cr.) NMMC
A202 Introduction to Programming II (4 cr.) NMMC
A247 Network Technologies and Administration (3 cr.)
A304 Introductory C++ Programming (2 cr.)
A306 Object-Oriented Programming in C++ (2 cr.)
A346 User-Interface Programming (3 cr.)
*C211 Introduction to Computer Science (4 cr.) NMMC
*H211 Introduction to Computer Science, Honors (4 cr.) NMMC
*C212 Introduction to Software Systems (4 cr.) NMMC
*H212 Introduction to Software Systems (4 cr.) NMMC
*C241 Discrete Structures for Computer Science (3 cr.)
*H241 Discrete Structures for Computer Science, Honors
*C311 Programming Languages (4 cr.)
*H311 Programming Languages, Honors (4 cr.)
*C335 Computer Structures (4 cr.)
*H335 Computer Structures, Honors (4 cr.)
*C341 Fundamentals of Computing Theory (3 cr.)
*H341 Fundamentals of Computing Theory, Honors (3 cr.)
*C343 Data Structures (4 cr.)
*H343 Data Structures Honors (4 cr.)
*B351 Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Computer Simulation (3cr.) NMMC (cross-listed as COGS Q351
Linguistics
L103 Introduction to the Study of Language (3 cr.) SHSI
L210 Topics in Language and Society (3 cr.) SHSI
*L303 Introduction to Linguistic Analysis (3 cr.) NMMC
*L306 Phonetics (3 cr.) NMMC
*L307 Phonology (3 cr.) NMMC
*L308 Morphology (3 cr.)
*L310 Syntax (3 cr.) NMMC
*L325 Semantics (3 cr.) NMMC
*L430 Language Change and Variation (3 cr.) SHSI
L431 Field Methods (3 cr.)
L432 Advanced Field Methods (3 cr.)
*L490 Linguistic Structures (3 cr.)
Philosophy
P100 Introduction to Philosophy (3 cr.) AHTI
P105 Thinking and Reasoning (3 cr.) AHTI
*P250 Introductory Symbolic Logic (3 cr.) NMMC
*P251 Intermediate Symbolic Logic (3 cr.) NMMC
*P310 Topic in Metaphysics (3 cr.) AHTI
*P312 Topics in the Theory of Knowledge (3 cr.) AHTI
*P320 Philosophy of Language (3 cr.) AHTI
*P350 Logic of Sets (3 cr.)
*P253 Logic and Philosophy (3 cr.) AHTI
*P360 Introduction to Philosophy of Mind (3 cr.) AHTI
*P366 Philosophy of Action (3 cr.) AHTI
Psychology
*P101/P151 Introductory Psychology I (3 cr.) NMNS or
*P106 General Psychology, Honors (4 cr.) NMNS
P201 Biological Bases of Behavior (3 cr.) NMNS
*P211 Methods of Experimental Psychology (3 cr.) NMNS
*P325 Psychology of Learning (3 cr.) NMNS
*P326 Behavioral Neuroscience (3 cr.)
*P329 Sensation and Perception (3 cr.) NMNS
*P330 Perception/Action (3 cr.) NMNS
*P335 Cognitive Psychology (3 cr.) NMMC
*P350 Human Factors (3 cr.) NMNS
P405 Elementary Mathematical Psychology (3 cr.) NMMC
*P407 Drugs and the Nervous System (3 cr.)
*P410 Development of the Brain and Behavior (3 cr.)
*P411 Neural Bases of Learning and Memory (3 cr.)
P417 Animal Behavior (3 cr.) NMNS
*P423 Human Neuropsychology (3 cr.)
*P424 Laboratory in Sensation and Perception (3 cr.)
*P426 Laboratory in Behavioral Neuroscience (3 cr.)
P429 Laboratory in Developmental Psychology (3 cr.)
*P435 Laboratory in Human Learning and Cognition (3 cr.)
*P438 Language and Cognition (3 cr.) NMMC
*P443 Cognitive Development (3 cr.)
P444 Developmental Psychobiology (3 cr.)
P448 Social Judgment and Person Perception (3 cr.)
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