Cogs184 (Offered Spring 2011)
Modeling the Evolution of Cognition
This course will review a variety of contemporary theories of the evolution of human cognition.
Lectures will cover background material on natural selection, the hominid archeological record,
comparative primate neuroanatomy, cross-species data on imitation and Machiavellian intelligence,
the development of joint attention, psycho-linguistics, and the role of culture in human cognition.
Each week, the students will read and discuss an influential paper focusing on cognitive evolution
from one of these perspectives. Before each discussion, each student will prepare a written set of
questions and comments on each paper (from Behavioral & Brain Sciences)
and on select "Peer Commentaries". Weekly quizes and a final paper will also be required.
Cogs143 (Offered Winter 2012)
Animal Cognition
Primates and Cetaceans:
Contrasts and Parallels
In this course we compare two orders of large-brained, highly-social mammals in order to
understand the constraints on human cognition that derive from our primate heritage and the
convergence of cognitive adaptations that we share with non-primate species. Lectures focus
on defining features of the two taxa, comparative neuroanatomy, cognitive research in the lab
including language studies, the socio-ecology of selected species, issues in social cognition,
and the emergence of culture. In addition to the presentation of this material, covered on two
midterm exams, this course also involves field trips to the San Diego Zoo and Sea World of
San Diego to observe primates and cetaceans, readings on pertinent topics, the writing of
outlines and a final paper, as well as an in-class group presentation. Course open to
juniors and seniors only.
Cogs17 (Offered Fall, Winter, Spring 2011-12)
Cognitive Neuroscience
In this introduction to Neuroscience, the fundamentals of neuroanatomy and neural functioning
are reviewed. Topics include the structure of the central and peripheral nervous systems, the
functioning of neurons, sensory and motor processes, sleep and dreaming, the regulation of
internal states, hormones and behavior, emotion, lateralization and language, and learning
and memory.
Cogs101A (Fall, 2011)
Human Perception
In this course on human perception, both neuroanatomical and psychophysical data are reviewed.
Much of the course focuses on vision, including such topics as the design of the eye, vision's
dual receptor system, pathways of information flow, contrast and spatial frequency, color
trichromy and opponency, movement, depth and size, and Gestalt organization. Theoretical
perspectives include bottom-up, top-down and ecological models of perception. The structures
and processes involved in the auditory the somatosensory systems are also considered. This
course also has a lab component in which students reproduce classic experiments in perceptual
psychophysics, explore the boundaries of the human perceptual reality, and otherwise engage
with a variety of stimulating materials to better understand the constraints on human perception.
Cogs199 (Fall/Winter, Winter/Spring, 2011-12)
Videographic Studies Laboratory
The current focus of this ethnographic internship is "The Social Construction of Space in African Elephants
(Loxodonta africanus)".
Participants are
trained to shoot digital video of the animals on site, download and edit those videos, and score
the behavior observed. One three-hour session per week is required onsite at the San Diego Zoo's Safari Park
to shoot focal animal video. These videos will then be analyzed in ChronoVis
TM using the
ANOTO Digital Pens TM to track the animals' movements.
Given the extensive training involved, participating students are required to make a
two-term commitment to this course.
In research meetings one evening per week, students will at first be trained and tested in the data
collection and entry protocols. The current aims of the study, the types of analyses planned,
and the justification for the various methods involved will also be discussed. Once data collection is
established, the focus of the meetings will shift to discussions of a set of relevant readings
(which varies each term).
Page last updated: Sept 2011
