CGSC 1390a / PSYC 1390a, Mental Lives of Babies and Animals  Nicolò Cesana-Arlotti

Interdisciplinary exploration of the cognitive, social, and emotional capacities of creatures lacking language and culture. The extent to which our complex psychology is unique to mature humans; the relative richness of a mental life without language or culture. Some attention to particular human populations such as children with autism and adults with language disorders.  SO
TTh 11:35am-12:50pm

CGSC 2430a / CGSC 243 / LING 2430a, Dynamics of Speech  Jason Shaw

Systems that change over time, from particles to climates to stock markets, are often well described as Dynamical Systems. Speech, like many aspects of human behavior, involve action and perception components, which are mediated and related by the central nervous system. Each of these components unfolds over time according to laws, which can be formulated using dynamical systems theory. This class provides an introduction to the types of dynamical systems that have been proposed to describe and explain human speech behavior, including (1) articulatory kinematics, i.e., the movements of speech organs such as the tongue, lips, vocal folds, etc., (2) neural activity governing intention and control, and (3) auditory transduction and perception of speech sound waves.  The course makes use of key concepts from calculus, particularly differential equations. Review of the necessary math will be provided in class. Most homework assignments involve light coding in the Matlab environment. No previous experience with Matlab is required; however, we expect students to have some familiarity with basic coding concepts (functions, loops, variables, matrices). Please feel free to reach out to us if you have questions about preparation.  SO
TTh 1:05pm-2:20pm

CGSC 3240a / NSCI 3230a / PSYC 3240a, Human Neuropsychology  Randolph Helfrich

Neuropsychology is the fascinating study of how brain functions give rise to behavior and cognition. This course offers an in-depth exploration of how brain lesions provide crucial insights into the workings of the human mind. Through case studies of individuals with various brain injuries and disorders, students learn how specific brain areas contribute to attention, memory, language or/and motor control. By examining the consequences of various pathologies, students learn about the connections between brain structure and function, offering a unique window into the complex processes that govern human behavior. The course covers state-of-the-art neuroimaging and neurophysiology techniques and clinical assessment methods to understand how disruptions to the brain’s architecture lead to cognitive and behavioral changes. We discuss a range of neuropsychiatric conditions, including stroke, epilepsy, dementia, movement disorders, or traumatic brain injury to understand the challenges presented by these disorders. Whether it’s unraveling the mysteries visual agnosia, attention and memory disorders, or studying the profound shifts in personality after frontal lobe injury, this course provides an exciting journey into the brain’s function from the perspective of individual patients. Prerequisite: PSYC 160/NSCI 160.
TTh 9am-10:15am

CGSC 3380a / NSCI 3380a / PSYC 3380a, Minds, Brains, and Machines  Julian Jara-Ettinger

Leibniz compared the brain to a mill, Freud to a hydraulic system, and now we think of it as a computer. Have we gotten it right? If so, what kind of computer is the brain? And what kind of software is the mind? This course explores these questions by integrating classical and cutting-edge findings from artificial intelligence, cognitive science, neuroscience, philosophy, and psychology. In this course you learn how modern artificial intelligence works—including deep neural networks, program synthesis, and neuro-symbolic approaches. You learn how to think about artificial intelligence from the perspectives of cognitive science and neuroscience. And you learn how current advances in AI are helping us understand how the mind and brain works. Conversely, you also learn how advances in psychology and neuroscience have played a key role in the biggest ideas in AI. This course is ideal for a variety of students: Psychology and cognitive science majors that want to learn about AI. CS students that want to know how to think about AI from a cognitive perspective. And anyone who wants to know how to think critically about all the advances in the study of minds, brains, and machines. Students are strongly encouraged to have taken either Introduction to Psychology (PSYC 110), or Introduction to Cognitive Science (CGSC 110). Introduction to Computer Science (CPSC 201) is also ideal.  SO
TTh 4pm-5:15pm

CGSC 3550a / PSYC 3550a, Inside the Hive Mind: The Psychology of Group Life  Yarrow Dunham

Human life is life in groups. Our lives depend on a complex web of others who furnish us with food, shelter, clothing, protection. Even our sense of self is largely defined in terms of who we are similar to and different from. And groups are by no means unique to our species, providing social organization in species as insects or even bacteria. But to place groups in a biological and evolutionary framework is to confront a central mystery, the mystery of cooperation: Why help others who may or may not help you back? And why don’t cheaters invade the population of cooperators, taking advantage of their niceness without reciprocation? This course begins with the evolutionary and biological origins of group life. When and why does group behavior evolve? What problems does it solve, and what forms does it take in other species? We then turn to the unique ways in which group behavior plays out in humans. Here we cover classic psychological work on topics like social identity, stereotyping and prejudice, and conformity, seeking to understand the ways in which group-mindedness enables both what is best and worst in our species. PSYC 1100 or PSYC 1300 (Introduction to Psychology or Introduction to Cognitive Science)  SO
TTh 2:35pm-3:50pm

CGSC 3610a / LING 3610a / PSYC 163 / PSYC 3470a, Language Acquisition  Athulya Aravind

The development of communication and language in children from birth to adolescence. Preverbal communication, lexical learning, morphological and syntactic development, phonological perception and production, the acquisition of pragmatic and communicative competence, and the relation of these skills to literacy.  SO
Th 9:25am-11:20am

CGSC 3630a / CGSC 363 / LING 3630a, Computational Models of Syntax  Robert Frank

Computational and mathematical approaches to natural language syntax. The course explores formal expressiveness and fit with linguistic properties. Grammatical systems studied will include categorial, tree-adjoining, dependency, minimalist and multiple context-free grammars. Topics may also include parsing complexity, algorithms for grammar learning, and applications to natural-language processing systems.  Prerequisite: LING 224 or CPSC 460, or permission of instructor.  SO
MW 11:35am-12:50pm

* CGSC 3750a / CGSC 375 / LING 2759a / PSYC 3375a, Linguistic Meaning and Conceptual Structure  Maria Pinango

The meaning of a word or sentence is something in the human mind that has specific properties: it can be expressed (written/signed/spoken forms); it can be combined with other meanings; its expression is not language dependent; it connects with the world; it serves as a vehicle for inference; and it is hidden from awareness. The course explores these properties in some detail and, in the process, provides the students with technical vocabulary and analytical tools to further investigate them. The course is thus intended for those students interested in undertaking a research project on the structure of meaning. the nature of lexico-conceptual structure, that is, the structure of concepts which we refer to as “word meanings”, and how they may be combined through linguistic and non-linguistic means. Its ultimate objective is to bridge models of conceptual structure and models of linguistic semantic composition,  identify their respective strengths and weaknesses and explore some of the fundamental questions that any theory of linguistic meaning composition must answer. Evidence discussed will emerge from naturalistic, introspectional, and experimental methodologies.  Prerequisites: LING 110, CGSC 110, LING 217, or LING 263.  SO
MW 2:35pm-3:50pm

* CGSC 4130a / CGSC 413 / PSYC 4130a, Mind, Brain, and Society  Marvin Chun

Recent advances in modern neuroscience as they inform or complicate issues in society. Views from disciplines such as psychology, philosophy, economics, political science, law, and religion.  SO
Th 9:25am-11:20am