| Georgetown University | Home | A-Z Index | Contents | Directories | Search |
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Cognitive Science(previously ICOS 321)
Spring 2002
| Georgetown University | Home | A-Z Index | Contents | Directories | Search |
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Spring 2002
Details regarding individual modules for the Spring 2002are posted below.
You will need the Director's written permission to enroll in the course. Students first choose the modules they want to take, rank ordering by their preference, and email them to the Director. Students are asked to list more than three in order of their preference.
In the spring of 2002, each module will be offered during one of four
periods of the semester. These periods met during the following weeks:
| Period # | Weeks | Modules |
| 1 | 1/21, 28, 2/4 | Eden, Farre, Pribram, Vaidya |
| 2 | 2/11, 18, 25 | Kainen, Rauschecker |
| 3 | 3/11, 18, 25 | Barr, Caraballo, Kanwal, Mackey |
| 4 | 4/8, 15, 22 | Friendman, Mani, Ullman |
| Arranged with Instructor | --- | Zsiga |
Department of Psychology
Meeting Times ó to be arranged with students who enroll
Infant Cognition
Infant cognition has been studied extensively for only 30 years and creative experimental methodology has been developed to study the preverbal cognitive mind. This module will evaluate and critique, the methods, the data, and the interpretations arising from the data. There will be three main interrelated parts. First, we will focus on how methods were derived. Not surprisingly, many methods were based on methods used to study cognition in nonhuman nonverbal animals. Second, we will focus on different topics of infant cognition to illustrate different methodologies and current trends in the field. Topics will include methods on infantís understanding of objecthood. On what basis do infants segment objects, do they have a concept of number, do they perceive events as causal? Given that my research focuses on the development of infant learning and memory, we will also examine how infant learning and memory are studied. A final section of the course will discuss a theoretical issue arising from studies of infant memory. The findings from studies of infant memory have led researchers to question the origin of infantile amnesia. Infantile amnesia is the typical inability of adults to recall events before the age of 3 or 4 years. The paradox arises that if infant memory is functional and formative years of life are so important for subsequent development why is it that we cannot remember those early years?
Each student will be required to write a paper, either critiquing an experiment or theory or else proposing an experiment, based on my lectures and related reading.
Grades will depend on classroom participation and the
paper.
Department of Computer Science
MEETING TIMES AND DATES: TBA. Will be arranged with students
who enroll.
Language Modeling
An important task in computational linguistics is language modeling -- building up a probabilistic model that predicts the next word in a text based on the preceding words. Language models are used, for example, in speech recognition to choose which of several similar-sounding sentences is most likely to be the one uttered by a speaker, or in machine translation to construct natural-sounding translations from one human language into another.
In this module, we will investigate different methods of language modeling. We will perform simple experiments to compare different models, as well as examining how good the human "language model" is by looking at how well human beings perform at the word- or letter-prediction task. We will also read current research paper discussing the state of the art in language modeling. Students will submit a short paper either describing the results of their own experiments or discussing experiments described in the literature.
The necessary statistics will be presented in class. While
no background in statistics is necessary, students should be comfortable
dealing with mathematical concepts. Computational tools will be provided,
so no programming background is required; however, students with programming
skills may wish to develop their own projects for the final paper.
Department of Neuroscience, GU Med Center
MEETING TIMES AND DATES: TBA. Will be arranged with students who enroll.
Methods and Application of Functional Bain Imaging to Study Human Cognition
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a new
tool that allows non-invasive studies of the neurobiological basis of perception
and cognition. In this module we will discuss how this novel technique
has revolutionized our understanding of the brain processes responsible
for skilled behavior, including reading, speech and voluntary movement.
In addition we will examine how these processes are modulated by emotion
and how they change over the life span. We will review studies using functional
brain imaging to study complex phenomena such as working memory or chess
playing. We will also visit the campus imaging facility to gain first hand
knowledge of functional brain imaging methods.
Department of Philosophy
Tel 7-7498
MEETING TIMES AND DATES: To be decided with students. Will be conducted as tutorials.
Four choices
Module A: The mind and its evolutionary substrate
Module B: The Cartesian Cut, the Heisenberg Cut and the objectivity of scientific discourse
Module C: On the role of computational strategies in cognitive science
Module D: A new form of causality in the evolutionary process: the transmodal enabling relation
Actual contents to depend on scientific and philosophic background of students. will then be distributed to students and put on my website.
Department of Neurology, GU Med Center
Tel: 4-4134
http://www.giccs.georgetown.edu/labs/friedman/index.html
Exact meeting times will be arranged with the Professor.
In addition, each student will arrange to observe one patient treatment session sometime during the session.
Assessment and Rehabilitation of Acquired Disorders of Reading (alexias) in Patients with Stroke or Head Injury
Students will read general articles on aphasia and alexia. We will discuss the process of reading, and the symptoms and syndromes of alexia. We will learn how to diagnose the various types of alexia, and students will make "diagnoses" based upon real patient data. Next we will discuss possible remediation strategies for the different types of alexia. Students will then sit in on one treatment session with a patient. In the final class meeting we will discuss our observations of the patients.
Department of Neuroscience, GU Med Center
kanwalj@giccs.georgetown.edu
Room WP09, Research Building
Meeting Times ó to be arranged with students who enroll
Origins of Music
Music, even more than speech, remains an elusive phenomenon
that only humans appear to exploit. We know little of its neurobiological
foundations. How did this ability originate in humans and for what? This
module will focus on the origins of music from the perspective of music
perception and brain/human evolution. The contents will be based on a recently
published book as well new ideas that the students might have. Active participation
is expected. A brief overview of the auditory system will be provided.
We plan to meet for 2 two hour informal lectures and a final discussion
session. Students will submit a short, one to two page, write up. Grading
will be based on participation and write up.
Department of Mathematics
72703 (phone or voice-mail)
http://www.georgetown.edu/faculty/kainen/
Meeting Times ó to be arranged with students who enroll
Tools for an intelligent society
Tools for an intelligent society will cover late 20th century developments which are relevant for decision-makers in industry and government. Emphasis will be on what the tools are good for and how they can be used, rather than on the details of mathematical proof. Students will be expected to attend three lectures and to write a fairly brief paper (around 7 pages) applying one or more of the topics covered to a problem of the student's choosing. I plan to cover: (1) Limits of democratic choice (e.g., Arrow's impossibility theorem), (2) prioritizing objectives in a complex situation (e.g., using Saaty's analytic hierarchy method), (3) making technology fit the users (e.g., by means of Zadeh's fuzzy logic), and (4) the theory of games (both 2-person and n-person). Topics to be discussed in addition may include: patern recognition, neural networks, and conflict resolution.
Department of Linguistics
Meeting Times ó to be arranged with students who enroll
Second language acquisition and working memory capacity
My research investigates the ways in which humans learn second languages. I am currently exploring the relationship between conversational interaction and second language (L2) learning. A number of empirical studies have shown that when language learners take part in certain kinds of conversational interaction, positive effects on their grammatical abilities can be identified. An interesting and open question concerns how (and why) conversational interaction is helpful. In particular, why does it benefit some language learners, but not others? Some researchers have suggested that working memory capacity may play a part in second language learning through interaction. It has also been suggested that interaction may be beneficial because it can help learners to notice, or pay attention to grammatical forms. In this module, the discussion will be focused on the process of learning second languages, with particular reference to the role of interaction, working memory and learner attention to L2 form.
During the first meeting we will discuss several key concepts and terms from the field of second language acquisition. I will distribute research articles and sets of data from two experiments involving second language learners with some sample analyses. At the second meeting I will also distribute, demonstrate and discuss psychometric tests of working memory capacity. Together, we will carry out the L1 listening span test. We will discuss the findings of the two experiments, and how these findings should be interpreted for the field. We will also consider the design of future experiments to further explore questions related to conversational interaction, learners' oral production, working memory, and L2 learning. During the third class meeting, students will present their ideas for further analyses, interpretations and possible experiments. Students will submit final (6-7 page) papers on the readings and the data. Students may work in pairs on both the presentations and the final paper. The grade will be assessed by oral contributions to the three classes and the quality of students' papers.
Department of Linguistics
Room 452, ICC
Phone: 7-5753
Meeting Times ó to be arranged with students who enroll
Evaluating Natural Language Processing Agents
In recent years, we have seen an increasing presence of artifical agents (an agent is a kind of computer program) which can process aspects of the complex symbol systems underlying human languages. Components such as speech recognizers and synthesizers, machine translators, text summarizers, name recognizers, etc. are embedded in many everyday applications. What sorts of linguistic prowess do these artificial agents really have, and how do they compare with our own linguistic and cognitive capabilities? This module will focus on the problem of evaluating natural language processing systems. We will begin with an introductory lecture covering the basic ingredients of natural language processing technologies, as well as a high-level sketch of the issues which arise in evaluating them. We will then examine some specific natural language processing components, and discuss experimental evaluation methods that researchers currently use. The module will involve readings, discussion, some experimentation on the part of students, and a short evaluation project.
The neuropsychology of the 'objective me' and the 'narrative I'
The systems of the brain can be conveniently divided into three categories: a posterior, that processes input from distance receptors; a central,peri-Rolandic,that processes proximal input; and a fronto-limbic that processes viscero-autonomic input. Evidence obtained from clinical observation and primate experiments will be presented that supports the thesis that interaction between the posterior and central systems leads to the construction of an objective "me" (as distinct from an objective "other") and that the interaction between the fronto-limbic and central systems leads to the construction of a narrative "I". The relevance of these constructions to conscious experience and language will be touched upon but not taken up in depth.
I hope that the module can be scheduled for around noon
or 1:00 p.m. on Mondays.
Department of Physiology
Rauscheckerj@giccs.georgetown.edu
Phone: 7-1580
WP15, Research Building
http://www.giccs.georgetown.edu/labs/linc/index.html
Meeting Times ó to be arranged with students who enroll
Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition: Functional Organization and Plasticity of the Cerebral Cortex
My research tries to understand the neurobiological bases of perception, cognition, and memory. The cerebral cortex is the main site in the brain that is thought to be involved in these higher functions. Therefore, we are trying to figure out how the cortex works, especially with regard to visual and auditory perception, as well as visual-auditory integration. The cortex is also a very smart structure in that it is capable of self- and re-organization during development, and after injury or sensory deprivation.
During three two-hour sessions we will discuss some of
the above topics. One session will concentrate on vision, one on audition,
and the third on brain plasticity. Students will also visit our laboratories
and (hopefully) do a few simple experiments or at least look at results
from recent studies performed in our lab. Each student will write a short
paper on one of the topics, integrating the contents of the group discussions
with the lab results. The grade will be based on this paper and on the
contributions during class
Prof, Michael Ullman & Dr. Karsten Steinhauer
Department of Neuroscience, GU Med Center
Building D, Room 207D
http://www.giccs.georgetown.edu/labs/ullman/
Tel: 7-5926
Meeting Times ó to be arranged with students who enroll
Seeing Language in the Brain
The module will introduce you to the study of language and the brain -- that is, neurolinguistics. You will read introductory articles on neurolinguistics, including the neuroimaging technique of examining Event-Related Potentials (ERPs). ERPs are measures of the electrical activity in the brain that occurs during the processing of language or other domains of cognition. We will discuss these articles and issues in class.You will then be shown the system which we use to acquire ERPs here at Georgetown. You will learn to use the system, and will help us to run an experiment with it. Finally, you will be expected to write up a very brief paper on a relevant topic of your choice.
Department of Psychology
Meeting Times ó to be arranged with students who enroll
Neural basis of cognitive function
Students will be introduced to the theory and practice of a new emerging field, cognitive neuroscience. Specifically, we will discover how the brain produces cognitive functions such as memory and attentional control, how they break down in neuropsychological disorders such as amnesia and ADHD, and how they can be studied non-invasively in the live human using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Course content will consist of reading original research articles and discussion.
Department of Linguistics TBA
Meeting times will be arragned with students who enroll.
The Mind-Mouth Connection: What the study of articulatory gestures can tell us about the organization of language in the mind.
All spoken human languages use the physical medium of
exhaled air, modulated by vocal tract movements, to convey an indefinitely
large variety of meanings from one mind to another. Because speech is a
physical system, physical limits on the production and perception of sound
constrain the ways that linguistic meanings can be encoded. Yet physical
limits do not completely determine the linguistic system, and languages
manage the trade-offs between the requirements of production and perception
in different ways. For example, a word consisting almost entirely of a
long string of consonants like /ptka/ is physically hard to say and to
perceive, but different languages may be more or less tolerant of consonant
clusters. English speakers reject the perfectly pronounceable sequence
/tl/ (as in Navajo tlee "night") as an impossible way to begin a word,
yet English speakers have no trouble with the /str/ sequence in a word
like strike, which Japanese speakers find impossible. Speakers of English,
Russian, Thai, and Swahili all have essentially the same anatomy and physiology,
but not the same sound systems. In this module, we will use experimental
techniques to study the ways different languages balance two opposing forces:
the need to maintain contrast between sounds so as to convey separable
meanings, and the tendency to blur contrasts (or completely neutralize
them) as sounds and words are strung together in connnected speech.
I anticipate 4 class meetings:
1. Phonetics and phonology. Introduction to the mouth. How do humans use their vocal tracts to produce sound? Examples of contrast and neutralization. (This class meeting may be waived for students who have taken Ling101 or the equivalent.)
2. Introduction to Acoustic Analysis: deriving vowel contrasts. What are the physical dimensions along which vowel sounds differ? How can you measure them (using free software, and hardware you probably already have at home)?
3. Preserving consonant contrast: articulatory organization in Russian (featuring linguistic investigation with hardware you probably wouldn't want to have at home, including electropalatography and electromagnetography.)
4. Neutralization of contrast due to gestural overlap: articulatory organization in English.
Assignments will include background reading (from texts and primary literature), participating in sample laboratory exercises, and a short data collection and analysis project to be decided on and carried out collaboratively.