Cognitive Science

University of California, Berkeley

This is an archived copy of the 2017-18 guide. To access the most recent version of the guide, please visit http://guide.berkeley.edu.

Overview

The Cognitive Science Program at UC Berkeley offers undergraduates the opportunity to explore the mind from an interdisciplinary perspective. Courses in the program draw on psychology, linguistics, computer science, philosophy, neuroscience, and anthropology, among other fields, to illuminate how the human mind works and why it works the way it does.

Many influential ideas within cognitive science originated at Berkeley. The program draws on over 40 affiliated faculty from a variety of departments and is closely integrated with cognitive science research efforts across the campus.

The cognitive science research community at Berkeley is centered around the Institute of Cognitive and Brain Sciences. Students interested in cognitive science graduate study can receive graduate training in programs in affiliated disciplines, e.g. psychology, linguistics, neuroscience. There is presently no separate graduate program specifically for cognitive science. 

Undergraduate Program

Cognitive Science: BA

Graduate Program

There is no graduate Cognitive Science Program.

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Courses

Cognitive Science

COG SCI 1 Introduction to Cognitive Science 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Spring 2017
This course introduces the interdisciplinary field of cognitive science. Lectures and readings will survey research from artificial intelligence, pyschology, linguistics, philosophy, and neuroscience, and will cover topics such as the nature of knowledge, thinking, remembering, vision, imagery, language, and consciousness. Sections will demonstrate some of the major methodologies.
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COG SCI 1B Introduction to Cognitive Science 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Fall 2016
This course introduces the interdisciplinary field of cognitive science. Lectures and readings will survey research in such fields as artificial intelligence, psychology, linguistics, philosophy, and neuroscience, and will cover topics such as the nature of knowledge, thinking, remembering, vision, imagery, language, and consciousness.
Introduction to Cognitive Science: Read More [+]

COG SCI N1 Introduction to Cognitive Science 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2018 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2017 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2016 Second 6 Week Session
This course introduces the interdisciplinary field of cognitive science. Lectures and readings will survey research in such fields as artificial intelligence, psychology, linguistics, philosophy, and neuroscience, and will cover topics such as the nature of knowledge, thinking, remembering, vision, imagery, language, and consciousness. Sections will demonstrate some of the major methodologies.
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COG SCI 88 Data Science and the Mind 2 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Fall 2016
How does the human mind work? We explore this question by analyzing a range of data concerning such topics as human rationality and irrationality, human memory, how objects and events are represented in the mind, and the relation of language and cognition. This class provides students with critical thinking and computing skills that will allow them to work with data in cognitive science and related disciplines.
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COG SCI 98 Directed Group Study 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Spring 2015, Fall 2014
Seminar for the group study of selected topics. Topics may be initiated by students subject to the approval of the major advisor.
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COG SCI 99 Supervised Independent Study and Research 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2011, Fall 2010
Independent study and research by arrangement with faculty.
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COG SCI C100 Basic Issues in Cognition 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015
Theoretical foundations and current controversies in cognitive science will be discussed. Basic issues in cognition--including perception, imagery, memory, categorization, thinking, judgment, and development--will be considered from the perspectives of philosophy, psychology, computer science, and physiology. Particular emphasis will be placed on the nature, implications, and limitations of the computational model of mind.
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COG SCI N100 Basic Issues in Cognition 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2018 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2017 Second 6 Week Session
Theoretical foundations and current controversies in cognitive science will be discussed. Basic issues in cognition--including perception, imagery, memory, categorization, thinking, judgment, and development--will be considered from the perspectives of philosophy, psychology, computer science, and physiology. Particular emphasis will be placed on the nature, implications, and limitations of the computational model of mind.
Basic Issues in Cognition: Read More [+]

COG SCI C101 Cognitive Linguistics 4 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2017 8 Week Session, Summer 2016 10 Week Session, Summer 2016 8 Week Session, Spring 2016
Conceptual systems and language from the perspective of cognitive science. How language gives insight into conceptual structure, reasoning, category-formation, metaphorical understanding, and the framing of experience. Cognitive versus formal linguistics. Implications from and for philosophy, anthropology, literature, artificial intelligence, and politics.
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COG SCI C102 Scientific Approaches to Consciousness 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2014, Spring 2013, Spring 2011
This course will examine the nature of human consciousness from the interdisciplinary perspective of cognitive science. It will cover topics from the philosophy of mind, cognitive linguistics, neuroscience, psychology, and computational models.
Recommended Courses: Psych C120/CogSci C100 OR Psych/CogSci C127
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COG SCI C104 The Mind, Language, and Politics 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2009
An analysis of contemporary liberal and conservative thought and language, in terms of the basic mechanisms of mind: frames, prototypes, radial categories, contested concepts, conceptual metaphor, metonymy, and blends. The framing of political discourse. The logic of political thought. The purpose of the course is to provide students interested in political and social issues with the tools to analyze the framing of, and logic behind, contemporary political discourse.
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COG SCI C126 Perception 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
An introduction to principal theoretical constructs and experimental procedures in visual and auditory perception. Topics will include psychophysics; perception of color, space, shape, and motion; pattern recognition and perceptual attention.
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COG SCI C127 Cognitive Neuroscience 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017
This course will examine research investigating the neurological basis of cognition. Material covered will include the study of brain-injured patients, neurophysiological research in animals, and the study of normal cognitive processes in humans with non-invasive behavioral and physiological techniques such as functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Topics to be covered include perception, attention, memory, language, motor control, executive control, and emotion.
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COG SCI 131 Computational Models of Cognition 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2016, Fall 2015
This course will provide advanced students in cognitive science and computer science with the skills to develop computational models of human cognition, giving insight into how people solve challenging computational problems, as well as how to bring computers closer to human performance. The course will explore three ways in which researchers have attempted to formalize cognition -- symbolic approaches, neural networks, and probability and statistics -- considering the strengths and weaknesses of each.
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COG SCI C131 Computational Models of Cognition 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2013, Fall 2011, Fall 2010
This course will provide advanced students in cognitive science and computer science with the skills to develop computational models of human cognition, giving insight into how people solve challenging computational problems, as well as how to bring computers closer to human performance. The course will explore three ways in which researchers have attempted to formalize cognition -- symbolic approaches, neural networks, and probability and statistics -- considering the strengths and weaknesses of each.
Computational Models of Cognition: Read More [+]

COG SCI C140 Quantitative Methods in Linguistics 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2017, Spring 2016, Spring 2015
An introduction to research using quantitative analysis in linguistics and cognitive science. Students will learn how to use the R programming environment for statistical analysis and data visualization.
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COG SCI C142 Language and Thought 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2017, Summer 2016, Spring 2016
This seminar explores the relation of language and thought. Is language uniquely human, and if so, what does this reveal about the human mind? Does the particular language you speak affect the way you think, or do human languages reflect a universal conceptual repertoire? The goal of this class is to familiarize you with a set of classic arguments on these themes, together with current research that evaluates these arguments, through weekly reading and discussion.
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COG SCI C147 Language Disorders 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2015 10 Week Session, Summer 2015 Second 6 Week Session, Spring 2013
An introduction to experimental and theoretical research on language disorders, particularly acquired aphasia in adults. Major course themes include the relationship between normal and pathological language, and the usefulness of linguistic analysis for empirical research. Topics include phonetic, phonological, morphological, semantic, syntactic, and pragmatic aspects of language disorders in mono- and multilingual speakers of typologically diverse languages.
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COG SCI 190 Special Topics in Cognitive Science 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016
Selected topics in the study of Cognitive Science.
Special Topics in Cognitive Science: Read More [+]

COG SCI H195A Special Study for Honors Candidates 1 - 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2013, Spring 2012, Fall 2011
Independent study and preparation of an honors thesis under the supervision of a faculty member.
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COG SCI H195B Special Study for Honors Candidates 1 - 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2011, Spring 2008, Spring 2007
Independent study and preparation of an honors thesis under the supervision of a faculty member.
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COG SCI 197 Academic Internship Credit 1 - 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2017 10 Week Session
Academic internship credit for students pursuing an internship related to their studies in the Cognitive Science Program. Limited to Cognitive Science declared majors with at least 60 units, and a 2.0 GPA.
Academic Internship Credit: Read More [+]

COG SCI 198 Directed Group Study 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015
Seminar for the group study of selected topics. Topics may be initated by students subject to the approval of the major advisor.
Directed Group Study: Read More [+]

COG SCI 199 Independent Study in Research 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2015, Fall 2014, Spring 2013
Independent study and research by arrangement with faculty.
Independent Study in Research: Read More [+]

COG SCI 201 Graduate Seminar on the Mind and Language 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2014, Spring 2013, Spring 2012
Thought appears to be grounded in the sensorimotor system, and to grow out of the nature of the physical brain and body; human reason also makes extensive and fundamental use of imaginative mechanisms such as metaphor and metonymy. The readings in this course review that evidence, much of which comes from the study of how people categorize and reason using categories. The course will include both discussions and research projects appropriate to students in each of the disciplines.
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COG SCI 300 Teaching Cognitive Science 1 - 2 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2008, Spring 2007, Fall 2006
This course will provide training in a variety of teaching techniques, will review relevant pedagogical issues, and will assist undergraduate students in mastering their initial teaching experiences.
Teaching Cognitive Science: Read More [+]

Faculty and Instructors

+ Indicates this faculty member is the recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award.

Faculty

Dor Abrahamson, Associate Professor. Mathematical cognition, design-based research, mixed-media design for mathematics learning environments, embodied interaction.
Research Profile

Martin S. Banks, Professor. Stereopsis, virtual reality, optometry, multisensory interactions, self-motion perception, vision, depth perception, displays, picture perception, visual ergonomics.
Research Profile

Sonia Bishop, Assistant Professor.

Roy L. Caldwell, Professor. Ecology, evolution, Invertebrates, animal behavior, behavioral ecology, marine biology, stomatopods, crustaceans, cephalopods, octopus, mating systems, communication, sensory ecology, aggressive behavior, coral reef restoration.
Research Profile

John Joseph Campbell, Professor. Theory of meaning; philosophy of mind; causation in psychology.
Research Profile

Jose M. Carmena, Professor. Brain-machine interfaces, neural ensemble computation, neuroprosthetics, sensorimotor learning and control.
Research Profile

Melinda Chen, Associate Professor.

Clayton Critcher, Assistant Professor. Judgment and decision making, consumer experience, the self, moral psychology, social cognition.
Research Profile

Mark T. D'Esposito, Professor. Cognitive neuroscience, psychology, working memory, frontal lobe function, functional MRI, neurology, brain imaging, dopamine.
Research Profile

Terrence W. Deacon, Professor. Neuroscience, anthropology, cognitive neuroscience, evolutionary biology, neurobiology, semiotics, primates, linguistic theory.
Research Profile

Michael Deweese, Assistant Professor. Machine learning, computation, systems neuroscience, auditory cortex, neural coding.
Research Profile

Susanne Gahl, Associate Professor. Linguistics, psycholinguistics, linguistic structure, language production, aphasia and related language disorders.
Research Profile

Robert J. Glushko, Adjunct Professor.

Alison Gopnik, Professor. Learning, philosophy, psychology, cognitive development, theory of mind, young children, children's causal knowledge, Bayes Net formalism.
Research Profile

Tom Griffiths, Associate Professor. Machine learning, computational models of human cognition, Bayesian statistics, cultural evolution.
Research Profile

William F. Hanks, Professor. Social and cultural anthropology, linguistics, shamanism, language, Yucatan Mexico, Maya culture.
Research Profile

Rich Ivry, Professor. Cognitive neuroscience, behavior, cognition, brain, attention, coordination, psychology, motor and perceptual processes in normal and neurologically impaired populations, temporal processing, executive control.
Research Profile

Lucia F. Jacobs, Professor. Cognitive and brain evolution, adaptive patterns in spatial memory, spatial navigation, cognitive sex differences and decision making.
Research Profile

John F. Kihlstrom, Professor. Personality, behavior, memory, psychology, cognition in personal, social contexts, unconscious mental processes, hypnosis, social cognition, experimental psychopathology, health cognition, unconscious mental life.
Research Profile

Daniel Klein, Professor. Artificial Intelligence (AI); Natural Language Processing, Computational Linguistics, Machine Learning.
Research Profile

Robert Thomas Knight, Professor. Cognitive neuroscience, language, physiology, memory, attention, psychology, working memory, neuropsychology, human prefrontal cortex, neural mechanisms of cognitive processing, sensory gating, sustained attention, ad novelty detection.
Research Profile

Paul Li, Adjunct Professor.

Tania Lombrozo, Associate Professor.

Jitendra Malik, Professor. Artificial Intelligence (AI); Biosystems & Computational Biology (BIO); Control, Intelligent Systems, and Robotics (CIR); Graphics (GR); Human-Computer Interaction (HCI); Signal Processing (SP);.
Research Profile

Sam A. Mchombo, Associate Professor. African languages, linguistics, political development, sports and politics, national identity, globalization.

Srini NarayananArtificial intelligence, cognitive science, socially relevant computing, web semantics, cognitive and neural computation, learning and control in complex systems.

Alva Noe, Professor. Cognitive science, phenomenology, consciousness, philosophy, theory of perception, theory of art, Wittgenstein, analytic philosophy origins.
Research Profile

Bruno Olshausen, Professor. Visual perception, computational neuroscience, computational vision.
Research Profile

Michael Andrew Ranney, Professor. Reasoning, learning, cognitive science and society.
Research Profile

Terry Regier, Professor. Computational methods, language and thought, semantic universals.
Research Profile

Richard Rhodes, Associate Professor. American Indian languages, lexical semantics, lexicography, Algonquian languages, Ojibwe, Mixe-Zoquean languages, mixed languages, Michif, Sayula Popoluca.
Research Profile

Stuart Russell, Professor. Artificial intelligence, computational biology, algorithms, machine learning, real-time decision-making, probabilistic reasoning.
Research Profile

Geoffrey B. Saxe, Professor. U.S., developmental psychology, interplay between culture and cognitive development, mathematical cognition in children, Papua New Guinea, urban and rural areas of Northeastern Brazil, elementary school classrooms, cognitive development, mathematics education.
Research Profile

Alan H. Schoenfeld, Professor. Thinking, teaching, learning, productive learning environments, mathematics education, modeling the process of teaching, understanding how and why teachers do what they do.
Research Profile

+ John R. Searle, Professor . Philosophy, problems of mind and language.
Research Profile

Arthur P. Shimamura, Professor. Cognitive neuroscience, behavior, cognition, brain, psychology, frontal lobe function, basic memory research.
Research Profile

Mahesh Srinivasan, Assistant Professor.

Eve E. Sweetser, Professor. Subjectivity, syntax, semantics, cognitive linguistics, historical linguistics, Celtic languages, speech act theory, semantic change, grammaticalization, gesture, metaphor, iconicity, viewpoint, construction grammar, semantics of grammatical constructions.

David Whitney, Professor. Cognitive neuroscience, cognition, attention, visual perception, vision, visually guided action.
Research Profile

Fei Xu, Professor. Conceptual development, developmental psychology, cognitive development, language development, social cognition in infants and children, learning in infants and young children, statistical learning and statistical inference, psychology and philosophy, computational models of cognitive development.
Research Profile

Lecturers

David E. Presti, Senior Lecturer SOE.

Emeritus Faculty

Andrea A. diSessa, Professor Emeritus. Physics and computation cognition.
Research Profile

Susan M. Ervin-Tripp, Professor Emeritus. Sociolinguistics, psychologist, pragmatics, child language, bilingualism.
Research Profile

Jerome A. Feldman, Professor Emeritus. Artificial Intelligence (AI); Biosystems & Computational Biology (BIO); Security (SEC); cognitive science.
Research Profile

Charles Fillmore, Professor Emeritus.

Ervin R. Hafter, Professor Emeritus.

Paul Kay, Professor Emeritus. Linguistics, sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology, pragmatics, syntax, semantics, lexicon, grammar, color naming, lexical semantics, grammatical variation, cross-language color naming, the encoding of contextual relations in rules of grammar.
Research Profile

George P. Lakoff, Professor Emeritus. Mathematics, literature, philosophy, cognitive linguistics, the neural theory of language, conceptual systems, conceptual metaphor, syntax-semantics-pragmatics, the application of cognitive linguistics to politics.
Research Profile

John J. Ohala, Professor Emeritus. Linguistics, experimental phonology, phonetics, historical phonology, ethological aspects of communication, speech technology, automatic recognition of speech, diverse behavioral phenomena.
Research Profile

Stephen E. Palmer, Professor Emeritus. Psychology, visual perception, visual processing.
Research Profile

Kaiping Peng, Professor Emeritus. Psychology, East Asian studies, social cultural sychology, reasoning and judgment across cultures and domains, inter-ethnic, racial relations, cross-cultural communication and understanding.
Research Profile

William Prinzmetal, Adjunct Professor Emeritus. Behavior, cognition, brain, attention, psychology, visual perception.
Research Profile

Lynn C. Robertson, Professor Emeritus. Cognitive neuroscience, attention, psychology, representations of objects and space, visual search, binding mechanisms, perceptual organization in normal and neurological populations, functional hemisphere asymmetries, spatial deficits.
Research Profile

Eleanor Rosch, Professor Emeritus. Cognition, psychology, concepts, Eastern psychologies, psychologies of religion, cross cultural, causality.
Research Profile

Dan I. Slobin, Professor Emeritus. Sociolinguistics, behavior, cognition, brain, psycholinguistics, psychology, language and cognitive development, sign language, cross-cultural.
Research Profile

Lotfi A. Zadeh, Professor Emeritus. Artificial intelligence, linguistics, control theory, logic, fuzzy sets, decision analysis, expert systems neural networks, soft computing, computing with words, computational theory of perceptions and precisiated natural language.
Research Profile

Contact Information

Cognitive Science Program

140 Stephens Hall

Phone: 510-642-2628

Visit Program Website

Program Director

Terry Regier, PhD

1221 Dwinelle Hall

terry.regier@berkeley.edu

Student Academic Adviser

MacKenzie Moore, PhD

140 Stephens Hall

mackenziemoore@berkeley.edu

Student Academic Adviser

Catherine Byrne, MA

140 Stephens Hall

clbyrne@berkeley.edu

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