Course description
The Cognitive and Brain Science specialty area for the Psychology PhD program trains students to develop a thorough understanding of diverse aspects of cognition. Students learn about theories of cognitive phenomena and about the neurobiological bases of cognition and behavior. Students study the major methods used to measure various components of cognition. These components include attention, sensation and perception, working memory, episodic memory, cognitive control, language, metacognition, spatial cognition, and problem solving.
Faculty research interests include these areas of cognition as they exist in humans, as well as aspects of comparative psychology (animal behavior and cognition). Some faculty members' research interests include human cognitive neuroscience, measuring brain activity during cognition with electrophysiological or imaging techniques in persons with or without neurological dysfunction. The program is closely connected to faculty with interests in the Cognitive Aging program, including an emphasis on understanding effects of aging on cognitive mechanisms and how aging influences neural functioning and cognition