Cognitive Science
Director of undergraduate studies: Brian Scholl, 304 SSS, 432-4629, brian.scholl@yale.edu
FACULTY ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROGRAM IN COGNITIVE SCIENCE
Professors
Woo-kyoung Ahn (Psychology), Stephen Anderson (Linguistics), Amy Arnsten (School of Medicine), John Bargh (Psychology), Paul Bloom (Psychology, Linguistics), Marvin Chun (Psychology), Michael Della Rocca (Philosophy), Ravi Dhar (School of Management), Julie Dorsey (Computer Science), Carol Fowler (Adjunct) (Linguistics, Psychology), David Gelernter (Computer Science), Tamar Gendler (Chair) (Philosophy), Louis Goldstein (Linguistics), Donald Green (Political Science), Laurence Horn (Linguistics), Marcia Johnson (Psychology), Dan Kahan (Law School), Frank Keil (Psychology, Linguistics), Lawrence Marks (Psychology), Gregory McCarthy (Psychology), Drew McDermott (Computer Science), Holly Rushmeier (Computer Science), Sun-Joo Shin (Philosophy), Henry Smith (Law School), Zoltán Szabó (Philosophy), Fred Volkmar (School of Medicine), David Watts (Anthropology), Karen Wynn (Psychology), Steven Zucker (Computer Science)
Associate Professors
Katalin Balog (Philosophy), Ami Klin (School of Medicine), Nathan Novemsky (School of Management), Maria Piñango (Linguistics), Laurie Santos (Psychology), Brian Scassellati (Computer Science), Brian Scholl (Psychology), Robert Schultz (School of Medicine), Teresa Treat (Psychology)
Assistant Professors
Maria Babyonyshev (Linguistics), Hal Blumenfeld (School of Medicine), Keith Chen (School of Management), Troy Cross (Philosophy), Jeremy Gray (Psychology), Jill North (Philosophy), Ian Quinn (Music)
Cognitive science explores the nature of cognitive processes such as perception, reasoning, memory, attention, language, decision making, imagery, motor control, and problem solving. The goal of cognitive science, stated simply, is to understand how the mind works. Cognitive science is an inherently interdisciplinary endeavor, drawing on tools and ideas from fields such as psychology, computer science, linguistics, philosophy, and neuroscience. Approaches include empirical studies of the ontogenetic and phylogenetic development of cognitive abilities, experimental work on cognitive processing in adults, attempts to understand perception and cognition based on patterns of breakdown in pathology, computational and robotic research that strives to simulate aspects of cognition and behavior, neuroscientific investigations of the neural bases of cognition using neural recording and brain scanning, and the development of philosophical theories of the nature of mind.
Introductory courses. An introductory survey course, CGSC 110a, is normally taken by the end of the fall term of the sophomore year and prior to admission to the major. An introductory survey course in psychology, linguistics, computer science, neuroscience, or philosophy should also be taken by the end of the fall term of the sophomore year.
Requirements of the major. Fifteen course credits are required for the major, including the two introductory courses and the senior colloquium and project. The remaining twelve term courses are chosen from an approved list that includes work in psychology, linguistics, computer science, neuroscience, and philosophy bearing on the study of the mind and its relation to the brain. Beyond these core areas, the program also draws on relevant courses in anthropology, art, biology, economics, and music. Majors take four courses in one core field, three in another, two in a third, and one in a fourth, with the remaining two courses selected (with the approval of the director of undergraduate studies) from courses relevant to the student's program in Cognitive Science. The particular selection of courses must be approved by the director of undergraduate studies in order to assure overall coherence and breadth. For the Class of 2011 and subsequent classes, courses taken Credit/D/Fail may not be counted toward the requirements of the major, except with permission of the director of undergraduate studies.
Specific programs will vary considerably depending on the student's choice of areas of concentration, as well as the offerings of participating departments from year to year. Some of the themes that may structure coursework in the major include perception, language, reasoning and decision making, the connection between brain and behavior, comparative cognition, cognition and the arts, and computational approaches to studying the mind.
Senior requirement. In the senior year, majors take the senior colloquium and project, CGSC 490. In the fall term students begin researching and writing a senior essay under the guidance of an appropriate faculty member in an area of cognitive science. In the spring term students complete the senior essay. Throughout the senior year, students meet regularly with one another and with the faculty in the context of this course to discuss current work in cognitive science and their own developing research projects.
Application to the major. Students must apply to enter the major at the end of the fall term of the sophomore year. Applications must be made in writing to the director of undergraduate studies no later than Monday, December 10, in 109 K. Applications must include both an official or unofficial transcript of work at Yale that lists fall-term 2007 courses and a brief statement of purpose, which serves to indicate academic interests and expected focus within the areas of the Cognitive Science major. Application forms and a list of frequently asked questions are available on line. Applicants will be notified of decisions concerning admission to the major in January 2008.
REQUIREMENTS OF THE MAJOR
Prerequisites: CGSC 110a or equivalent; 1 intro survey course in related discipline, as specified
Number of courses: 15 course credits (incl prereqs and senior req)
Distribution of courses: 4 term courses from one core field, 3 from another, 2 from a third, and 1 from a fourth; 2 addtl term courses from relevant area
Senior requirement: CGSC 490
