BCSC 153: Lecture Schedule
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Week
Date
Topic
Readings
1
01/18
Course overview and introduction
2
01/23
The study of the mind and research methods in cognition
Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy: Cognitive Science
3
01/25
Concepts and categories
Medin & Smith (1984)
Tversky (1977)
Tversky (1977)
01/29
Discussion #1 impressions due @ 11:59pm
4
01/30
The basic level of categorization in human behavior
Discussion #1: Is the basic level universal and absolute?
Discussion #1: Is the basic level universal and absolute?
Rosch et al. (1976)
Jolicoeur et al. (1984)
Jolicoeur et al. (1984)
5
02/01
Building neural categories from visual input
Heeger & Ress (2002)
Wandell et al. (2007)
Wandell et al. (2007)
6
02/06
The basic level of categorization in the human brain
Quiz #1
Quiz #1
Haxby et al. (2001)
Iordan et al. (2015)
Iordan et al. (2015)
7
02/08
Category selectivity in the human brain
Grill-Spector (2003)
Grill-Spector & Weiner (2015)
Grill-Spector & Weiner (2015)
02/12
Discussion #2 impressions due @ 11:59pm
8
02/13
Faces: a special cross-species cognitive domain
Discussion #2: Are some categories innate?
Discussion #2: Are some categories innate?
Grill-Spector et al. (2017)
Arcaro et al. (2017)
Arcaro et al. (2017)
9
02/15
Computational models of (re)cognition
Quiz #2
Quiz #2
Rogers & McClelland (2008)
DiCarlo & Cox (2007)
DiCarlo & Cox (2007)
10
02/20
Exam #1 Review
11
02/22
Exam 1
12
02/27
Language and word learning
Guest Lecture: Prof. Chigusa Kurumada
Guest Lecture: Prof. Chigusa Kurumada
TBD
02/28
Discussion #3 impressions due @ 11:59pm
13
02/29
Learning and expertise
Discussion #3: Is expertise the same in my brain and yours?
Discussion #3: Is expertise the same in my brain and yours?
Gauthier et al. (2000)
Meshulam et al. (2021)
Meshulam et al. (2021)
9
Spring Break
14
03/05
Guest Lecture: TBD
TBD
15
03/07
Music cognition
Guest Lecture: Prof. Elise Piazza
Guest Lecture: Prof. Elise Piazza
TBD
03/12
No class (Spring break)
03/14
No class (Spring break)
16
03/19
Emulating cognition: large neural network models
Quiz #3
Quiz #3
Krizhevsky et al. (2012)
Rajalingham et al. (2017)
Rajalingham et al. (2017)
03/20
Discussion #4 impressions due @ 11:59pm
17
03/21
Emulating cognition: huge neural network models
Discussion #4: Is the algorithm biased against me?
Discussion #4: Is the algorithm biased against me?
Bender et al. (2021)
Huth et al. (2016)
Huth et al. (2016)
18
03/26
Exam #2 Review
19
03/28
Exam 2
20
04/02
Attention: visual search, change blindness, tuning
Beck et al. (2006)
Çukur et al. (2013)
Çukur et al. (2013)
21
04/04
Memory: encoding, recall, forgetting
Schacter et al. (1998)
Josselyn & Tonegawa (2020)
Josselyn & Tonegawa (2020)
04/08
Discussion #5 impressions due @ 11:59pm
22
04/09
Mental imagery and memory reinstatement
Discussion #5: Can we reconstruct our dreams?
Discussion #5: Can we reconstruct our dreams?
Kosslyn et al. (2001)
Horikawa et al. (2013)
Horikawa et al. (2013)
23
04/11
Spatial navigation: place cells, grid cells, maps
Ekstrom & Isham (2017)
Moser et al. (2015)
Moser et al. (2015)
24
04/16
Cognitive maps
Quiz #4
Quiz #4
Hassabis et al. (2009)
Epstein et al. (2017)
Epstein et al. (2017)
25
04/18
Cognition in the wild: events, schemas, narratives
Zacks et al. (2008)
Baldassano et al. (2018)
Baldassano et al. (2018)
04/22
Discussion #6 impressions due @ 11:59pm
26
04/23
Cognitive neuromodulation
Discussion #6: Is it ethical to exogenously change a mind?
Discussion #6: Is it ethical to exogenously change a mind?
Shibata et al. (2001)
Iordan et al. (2020)
Iordan et al. (2020)
27
04/25
Exam 3 Review & course wrap-up
28
04/30
Final Exam