Cognitive Science

Cognitive science is the study of mental abilities such as perception, memory, thinking, action, speech, and language, and their bases in the brain, using scientific methods of experimentation, computer modeling, and brain imaging. The undergraduate concentration is designed to provide a flexible interdisciplinary approach with four areas of emphasis: perception, cognition, language, and cognitive neuroscience. Course work in related departments is encouraged. A Cognitive Science degree provides excellent preparation for careers in the sciences, computer fields, health professionals, law and education.

The A.B. program requires 13 courses and is primarily for students interested in studying human mental processes. The Sc.B. program requires 18 courses and is intended for students who also have strong interests in an affiliated area such as artificial intelligence, computational modeling, or cognitive neuroscience. Prospective concentrators should register for COGS 0010, preferably in their freshman or sophomore year.

Concentration advisor:

Fulvio Domini, x3-1356, (Fulvio_Domini@Brown.edu).

Standard program for the A.B. degree

Prerequisite: COGS 0010

  1. Required core courses: cognition (COGS 0420), language (COGS 0410), perception (COGS 0440/PSYC 0440), and cognitive neuroscience (COGS 1290, PSYC 1100 or NEUR 0010).
  2. Required courses in skills and methodology, (COGS 1020, 1230, 1440, 1450, 1530 or 1610), a basic computation course (CSCI 0040, 0150, or 0170/0180), and statistics (COGS 0090/PSYC 0090 or APMA 1650).
  3. Capstone Senior Seminar (COGS 1950).
  4. Four Electives chosen from the list of relevant cognitive science courses below. Electives should in most cases include four 1000-level courses and must show coherence and provide the concentrator with depth in one or more focus areas of study.

Standard program for the Sc.B. degree: 18 Courses

All of the requirements for the A.B. degree, plus Independent Study (COGS 1970), and a coherent program of at least four additional courses in the life sciences (e.g., cognitive science, psychology, or biology), physical sciences, mathematics, and/or applied mathematics that supports the student's area(s) of study. Many acceptable supporting science programs are possible, and the student should work out his/her program in consultation with the concentration advisor.

[(Due to changing availability, this list varies from year to year. Other courses may occasionally be substituted with advance permission of the concentration advisor.)]

Electives:

  1. Anthropology: 0200, 0800, 1210, 1800;
  2. Applied Math: 0410, 1360, 1670;
  3. Biology and Medicine: 0450, 0480, 1160, 1400;
  4. BioMed–Neuroscience: 0650, 0660, 1030, 1040, 1680;
  5. Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences: 0070, 0110, 0320, 0450, 0480, 0500, 0630, 0870, 0880, 1020, 1110, 1120, 1130, 1160, 1180, 1200, 1210, 1230, 1240, 1290, 1310, 1360, 1380, 1410, 1420, 1430, 1440, 1450, 1470, 1480, 1500, 1520, 1530, 1540, 1560, 1610, 1620, 1630, 1640, 1670, 1710, 1740, 1840, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1970;
  6. Computer Science: 0220, 0510, 1230, 1410, 1480;
  7. Education: 0800, 1260, 1270, 1710;
  8. Engineering: 1220, 1570, 1580, 1660;
  9. Philosophy: 0020, 0210, 0360, 0540, 1550, 1590, 1630, 1700, 1750, 1760, 1770, 1810, 1880;
  10. Psychology: 0270, 0470, 0500, 0750, 0810, 1050, 1190, 1400, 1510, 1730, 1750, 1780, 1790, 1800, 1810, 1850.

Other related courses may be offered if they fit into an integrated program, but such substitutions must be approved in advance by the Concentration Advisor.

Elective Focus Areas

Courses are listed below by areas of study in which the program has particular strengths. Students may also form foci that cut across these areas.

Cognitive Development: COGS 0630, 1180, 1430, 1470, 1520, 1610, 1620, 1740, 1880; ANTH 1210; EDUC 0800, 1270, 1710; PSYC 0810; NEUR 1040;

Cognitive Neuroscience: COGS 1020, 1290, 1480, 1500, 1530, 1540; APMA 0410; NEUR 1030, 1680; ENGN 1220; PHIL 1770; PSYC 0470, 0750, 1400, 1810;

Computational/Neural Modeling: COGS 1020, 1200, 1290, 1360; NEUR 1030, 1680; CSCI 0511, 1410, 1480; APMA 0410, 1360;

Human Cognition: COGS 0480, 0500, 0630, 1180, 1290, 1520, 1530, 1560, 1610, 1860, 1870, 1880; [EDUC 1260; PSYC 1400; CSCI 1410; ANTH 1210;] PHIL 1550, 1770;

Neurolinguistics: COGS 0320, 1240, 1450, 1470, 1480, 1500; NEUR 0650, 1030;

Perception and Action: COGS 1160, 1190, 1200, 1540; APMA 1360; NEUR 1030; BIOL 0450, 1160, 1400; CSCI 1480; PSYC 0500, 1750;

Psycholinguistics: COGS 0450, 1110, 1210, 1230, 1240, 1310, 1410, 1420, 1430, 1450, 1470, 1480, 1500, 1740; ANTH 0800, 1800; NEUR 0650. Any A.B. program that focuses mainly on language and cognition, can by arrangement, receive the designation "Cognitive Science–Psycholinguistics."

Theoretical Linguistics: COGS 0870, 1110, 1120, 1130, 1310, 1360, 1420, 1630, 1640, 1710; CSCI 0220, 510, 1410;

Vision: COGS 1200, 1380, 1440, 1540, 1860; PSYC 0270, 1190, 1850; NEUR 0660;

Independent Study is encouraged for the A.B. degree and required for the Sc.B. degree. Students should sign up for COGS 1970 with a faculty advisor who is a member of the Department of Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences. Arrangements should be made in Semester 6 for students expecting to do independent study during Semesters 7 and/or 8.

Degrees with Honors

Students interested in honors under either the A.B. or ScB. programs should identify a faculty honors sponsor and sign up with the concentration advisor during Semester 6. Although there is no minimum grade point average to enter the program, admission to the program is limited to students who have accumulated a strong academic record and is at the discretion of the department. It is expected that honors candidates will conduct a year-long research project under the direction of a faculty sponsor culminating in a written thesis and oral examination at the end of Semester 8. Students doing honors work may enroll for COGS 1970 for two terms.



Page last updated in February, 2008.

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