Cognitive Science 1: The Ghost in the Machine

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 1

What is it to be an intelligent embodied person? One common view is that mind and body belong to two different metaphysical realms, fused together in us as if we were a combined ‘ghost in a machine’ (to use the famous words of the philosopher, Gilbert Ryle, spoken 50 years ago). Few people believe such a view can work, but what should replace it? We look at a number of different ‘materialist’ theories, concentrating on variants of the computer model, and on neuro-physiologically based accounts of mind. In doing so, we examine some of the basic issues underlying cognitive science as an interdisciplinary study of the mind, taking in topics from psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, computing, artificial intelligence, robotics, evolutionary theory, biology and philosophy.

Essential Skills in Life Sciences

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 1

The aim of this module is to discuss the structure, synthesis, secretion and metabolic effects of the major classes of hormones such as insulin, glucagon, thyroid hormones, glucocorticoids, sex steroids, the renin-angiotensin system, growth hormone and prolactin. Emphasis will be placed upon how imbalances in the synthesis and secretion of these hormones leads to disease states, their symptoms and treatment (e.g. diabetes mellitus, Addisons Disease, Cushing's Syndrome, Grave's disease, hypothyroidism, acromegaly and dwarfism, hypertension).

Human Physiology

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 1

An introduction to homeostasis, physiological mechanisms and control in humans and other mammals. This module deals with circulatory and respiratory systems, fluid balance and kidney function, digestion and feeding. The approach to regulation and control uses hormonal signalling as a unifying principle, with several negative feedback examples. Furthermore, some case studies are explored such as exercise related cardiovascular and respiratory changes, diabetes as a break-down of control and regulation, and satiety mechanisms and obesity.

Neuroscience and Behaviour

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 1

The module deals with nervous and hormonal bases for sensory perception and behavioural action by humans and other animals.

You will be introduced to the basic components of the nervous systems: neurons, synapses and neurotransmitters, and learn how neurons transmit signals and processes information. You will also cover specialisation of the cerebral cortex, looking at lateralisation and language, as well as sensory processing and perception, exemplified by the visual pathway from the eye to specialised feature detectors in the cortex. Finally, lectures on feeding deal with neural and hormonal controls in behaviour.

Principles of Cognitive Science

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 1

This module considers cognitive science as a discipline in its own right, with a distinctive approach to studying the mind. You will be introduced to the range of techniques and tools that cognitive scientists use to study the mind. You will learn about the main theoretical models that cognitive scientists are currently using, and how those models can explain various aspects of cognition. The module covers both the achievements that cognitive scientists have made, and the challenges that lie ahead.

Psychology of Childhood and Adolescence

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 1

This module examines the historical origins, perspectives, theories, methods, and empirical findings of research in the area of developmental psychology, with attention given to cognitive, language, social, emotional, and atypical development. The core emphasis will be on major theories and research findings regarding psychological processes during infancy, childhood and adolescence. The module does not require any prior knowledge of psychology.

Research Methods for Neuroscience

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 1

Abnormal and Clinical Psychology

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 2

This module introduces you to the main diagnostic categories of psychological disorders, the major theories of causation and approaches to treatment, and encourages you to appreciate the links between the theory and the treatment of those disorders.

Cognitive Psychology

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 2

The module will comprise 24 one-hour lectures, two two-hour practicals and two one-hour seminars (linked to the practicals). The lectures will provide a broad coverage of cognitive psychology topics, from basic perception to thinking. Lectures will include material on individual differences where appropriate.

Sensory systems and visual perception: 

1. Introduction to the sensory systems
2. Physiology and psychophysics of perception
3. Theories of perception
4. The visual system

Sound & speech perception: 

1. Sound production and perception
2. Speech production and perception
3. Categorical perception of speech sounds
4. Evolution of speech and language

Attention: 

1. Attention: What in the devil is it?
2. Listen Up! The better to hear the world
3. Eyes RIGHT! The better to see the world
4. Select or Else! The better to act upon the world

Memory: 

1. Short term and working memory
2. Encoding in Long term memory
3. Forgetting and Retrieval
4. Implicit Memory

Language: 

1. Word meaning and concepts
2. Word reading and dyslexia (will include material on individual differences)
3. Text comprehension (also material on individual differences)
4. Language and thought 

Thinking: 

1. Problem Solving
2. Expertise and Creativity
3. Hypothesis Testing and Everyday Reasoning
4. Rationality and Irrationality

Practical 1: Categorical perception of speech sounds.
Practical 2: Reading equipment

Discovering Statistics

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 2

Discovering statistics has two components: (1) statistical analysis and (2) empirical research. The empirical project enables you to carry out independent research that will develop skills in experimental research. This project helps to prepare you for your final empirical research project. The statistical analysis parts of the module build upon existing knowledge of statistical theory to enable you to analyse more complex data structures through understanding the general linear model (regression, ANOVA etc.). Practical classes compliment the lectures by providing guidance on applying the general linear model using SPSS, advice on designing and executing projects, and conducting experimental research

Neural Circuits

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 2

This module will teach you about neural mechanisms generating animal behaviour. The level of analysis emphasises types of behaviour that can be understood in terms of underlying neural circuits or specific structures with well­ known neural architectures within the brain.

Topics covered include:

• organisation and modulation of central pattern generator (CPG) circuits
• advanced techniques for monitoring and manipulating neural circuits
• modelling of neural circuits
• sensory and motor functions of spinal cord circuits
• brain circuits underlying motor control
• circuits underlying non-associative and associative learning
• addiction and learning circuits
• defects in circuits
• development of neural circuits

Philosophical Foundations of Cognitive Science

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 2

This module examines various materialist conceptions of the mind, especially the functionalist vision of the mind as a kind of computer program running in the brain. Symbolic and connectionist versions of this view are described and compared. The complex issues surrounding the scientific explanation of consciousness and experience are discussed.

Principles of Neuroscience

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 2

In the first half of this module we will study in detail how plants sense their environment (plant growth regulators), take up nutrients (ion transport and membrane properties) and photosynthesise (carbohydrate synthesis, phloem translocation and sink tissue metabolism). We will then focus on the molecular biology of plants, and topics covered will include compartmentation of plant DNA, plant gene expression, and the plant genome. This will lead on to lectures on plant genetic manipulation and the application of such technologies.

Techniques in Neuroscience

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 2

Philosophy and Science of Consciousness

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 2

The module examines the problems and prospects for a science of consciousness. Topics include: defining consciousness, the Hard Problem, the Knowledge Argument against physicalism, qualia, theories of the self, the neuroscience of consciousness, attention and volition, machine consciousness, the evolution and function of consciousness, the Grand Illusion theory.

Philosophy of Science

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 2

The philosophy of science explores, among other things: the nature of laws and scientific explanation; the distinctive character of science and of how science progresses; realism/anti-realism about the theoretical entities posited by scientific theories. This module will introduce you to these issues and the central arguments involved. You will also explore notions integral to science, such as time, natural kinds, counterfactual support and causation.

Life Sciences Final Year Research Project

30 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

This is an individual research project involving the investigation of a biological problem or phenomenon using experimental procedures, or the investigation and evaluation of a medical condition, intervention or treatment using literature-based methods, in addition to patient feedback where possible. You will obtain data and information from either laboratory or field-based experiments; from work performed in silico, or from literature-based research.

Biological Bases of Mental Disorders

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

Prerequisite: Brain and Behaviour or equivalent module

The module examines the biochemical and anatomical bases of selected clinical disorders; it considers drug models (both animal and human) developed to understand the clinical condition and approaches to treatment, and examines the relationship between biochemical effects and behavioural and cognitive changes. Topics covered include anxiety, depression and schizophrenia.

Cognitive Neuroscience

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

This module provides you with an understanding of how research in cognitive neuroscience has informed our understanding of the cognitive processes engaged by the brain. Evidence is drawn from a wide variety of methods, including case studies of brain-damaged individuals, electrical recordings of 'brainwaves', and neuroimaging using fMRI.

The lectures will be organised around a series of different cognitive processes including vision, face recognition, attention, executive function and language. You will also explore newer areas of research in cognitive neuroscience, including emotional processes, social neuroscience, and music in the brain.

Conflict & Cooperation in Social Groups

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

Conflict and cooperation cuts across the whole of biology and can be studied among genes or among organisms, in societies of micro-organisms, animals and humans, and also in multi-species mutualisms. It is relevant both in the origin of life and in modern-day organisms and societies. The module focuses on factors affecting the balance between conflict and cooperation in human society, vertebrate societies including primates and cooperative breeders, mutualism partners, and genes within organisms. There are eight lectures followed by six two-hour seminars covering research papers in a single area. In the first of these seminars the research papers are presented by the faculty, and in the others by you and your coursemates.

Current Issues in Cognitive Science

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

This module familiarises you with topics at the leading edge of scientific and philosophical progress in the rapidly evolving area of cognitive science. It provides insights into the range of methods used to research those topics and the theories behind those methods. Drawing on previous cognitive science courses, this module looks to the future development of cognitive science and prepares you to participate in it.

Development of the Nervous System

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

The human adult nervous system consists of a wide range of specialised cell types that make up the brain, central and peripheral nervous system, as well as specialised sensory organs such as the eye and ear. These different neuronal cell types arise from a common progenitor during development, and furthermore, many of the essential genetic elements required for their development have been retained across different species during evolution. This module will cover selected highlights of contemporary research findings from drosophila, chicken and mouse developmental biology that have informed our emergent understanding of the genes and cellular processes involved in nervous system development and organisation, that will likely impact on the ability to repair spinal cord injuries and treat neurodegenerative disorders in your generation.

Drugs, Brain and Behaviour

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

Endocrinology and Disease

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

The aim of this module is to discuss the structure, synthesis, secretion and metabolic effects of the major classes of hormones (e.g. insulin, glucagon, thyroid hormones, glucocorticoids, sex steroids, the renin-angiotensin system, growth hormone and prolactin). Emphasis will be placed upon how imbalances in the synthesis and secretion of these hormones leads to disease states, their symptoms and treatment (e.g. diabetes mellitus, Addisons Disease, Cushing's Syndrome, Grave's disease, hypothyroidism, acromegaly and dwarfism, hypertension).

Fear and Anxiety in Children

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

Anxiety is the most prevalant psychological disorder of childhood, but how do children become anxious? 

This module looks at the developmental pattern of non-clinical fears in children and asks how these nonclinical fears turn into pervasive fears and phobias. The module has two main themes: the appropriateness of adult models of anxiety to children (eg the problems in applying diagnotstic, treatment and etiological models based on adults to child populations), and the factors contributing to the development of pre-­teenage anxiety. This latter theme is explored by looking at temperament, family (parenting), and learning.

Genome Stability, Genetic Diseases and Cancer

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

The design of new therapies for cancer depends on first understanding the molecular events that cause the disease. Genomic DNA is damaged spontaneously by chemical carcinogens and by radiation. If unrepaired, this damage leads to mutations, cancer and other developmental disorders. All cells have evolved a sophisticated array of repair and response mechanisms to deal with DNA damage. The aim of this module is to understand the molecular mechanisms that control DNA repair and to appreciate how defects in genes involved in these repair processes are associated with different, in many cases cancer-prone, genetic disorders. Throughout the module, emphasis will be placed on both the review and critical evaluation of recently published experimental evidence; advances in this area rely on a combination of biochemical analysis, genetic approaches and bioinformatics. Lectures on this module will be complemented by discussion groups.

Genomics and Bioinformatics

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

This module will introduce the common types of genomic and proteomic data available in biological databases; including DNA and protein sequences, motifs, gene structure, protein interactions and expression profiles. The aims and methods of DNA and protein sequence analysis will be covered, including analysis of homology, identification of motifs and domains, pair-wise and multiple alignments and prediction of gene structure.

The practical sessions will include the analysis of DNA and protein sequence data from biological databases. In these sessions you will learn how to integrate data to find the functional links between disease related genes and proteins.

Gestural Communication in Apes and Human Infants

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

With humans in Western cultures, the ability to follow and direct another's attention develops near the end of the first year of life, with increasing specificity developing over the second year. 

Although almost all human developmental researchers agree on the empirical facts of typical development, there is intense theoretical debate over the cognitive bases of this developmental profile. Joint attention has been characterized, at one extreme, as the manifestation of mammalian learning processes in human caregiving environments, and at the other extreme, as evidence for a human species­-specific cognitive adaptation for definite reference. Joint attention is a socio­cognitive skill that sits at the intersection of theoretical accounts of language acquisition, semiotics, the neurobiology of communication, the philosophy of mind, and the evolution of language. 

This module looks at how humans, and our nearest living relatives the great apes, discriminate visual attention in others and manipulate the visual attention of others through manual gestures. 

Among the questions we will consider are: is joint attention a necessary pre­requisite for language acquisition? Does pointing develop out of failed reaching gestures? Do apes point and what does it matter if they do? Does joint attention facilitate the acquisition of words? Does joint attention by babies index an early theory of mind? Why is joint attention so critical in the clinical description of children with autism? How do people point in other cultures (hint: not everybody points with their index finger)? How does pointing illuminate or confuse spoken discourse? 

You will critically evaluate contemporary research in the fields of developmental psychology, comparative psychology, ethology, and developmental clinical psychopathology. You will produce oral presentations of your evaluations, culminating in a final essay. 

Human Vocal Communication

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

Prerequisites: ideally at least one of Psychobiology, or Perception and Attention, or equivalent

This module takes you from the production of vocalisations in mammals to the development and perception of human speech. We cover: the anatomy of the vocal apparatus in mammals (including humans); the production of mammal (including human) vocal signals and how this shapes their acoustic structure; the key differences between animal vocalisations and human speech; the structure of speech; adult speech perception; child speech perception including how children learn to perceive speech; everyday speech perception; and the evolution of speech, with emphasis on the precursors of human speech in animal vocal communication systems, including anatomical adaptations, and what hominid fossils tell us.

Human-Computer Interaction

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

Human computer interaction (HCI) is concerned with understanding and designing interactive technologies from a people-centred perspective. This HCI module will give an introduction to the basic principles, methods and developments in HCI, with the objective of getting you to think constructively and analytically about how to design and evaluate interactive technologies, with opportunities to apply the principles and methods in practice. Topics include: principles of design, evaluating interactive technologies, understanding users, generating requirements, prototyping and iterative evaluation.

Intelligence in Animals and Machines

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

The module will develop your understanding of what it means for an animal or a machine to behave intelligently, and how brain and behavioural systems are adapted to enable an animal to cope effectively within its environment. You will consider diverse aspects of intelligence, including navigation and motor control, numerical, language, memory and social skills. You will explore how these are related to one another and how they are matched to the particular needs of animals and machines.

Modern Human Evolution

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

Modern humans started to spread from Africa about 100,000 years ago. This module includes investigation of the evidence we have for their subsequent evolution in terms of phylogeography, morphology and archaeology. This is related to general questions about evolutionary response to environmental factors such as disease and climate as well as looking critically at what we can deduce about past cultural evolution. The module concludes by considering human evolution in the present.

Neuronal Plasticity and Gene Regulation

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

This module will consider how cellular and molecular mechanisms interact in the regulation of neuronal plasticity, the ability of the nervous system to adapt its structural-functional organisation to new situations emerging from changes in intrinsic and extrinsic inputs. During the module particular emphasis will be placed on mechanisms underlying the acquisition, processing and storage of information by the nervous system. You will also discuss recently discovered phenomena such as epigenetic regulation and natural antisense transcripts (NATs) in the context of their importance for the regulation of neural functions.

Neuronal Transduction and Transmission

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

This module explores aspects of neuronal signalling, in both vertebrates and invertebrates, highlighting how molecular structure relates to function in signalling pathways. The emphasis will be on understanding how molecular and cellular mechanisms underlie the function of the CNS at a systems level and the generation of behaviour.

The module begins with the problem of sensory transduction (getting information into the nervous system), with a particular emphasis on mechanical (auditory) and visual modalities. This will be followed by a series of lectures on how information is processed at the synapse, covering electrical transmission and preand post-synaptic mechanisms at the chemical synapse. You will also be introduced to non-synaptic information processing.

Psychobiology of Cognitive Ageing and Dementia

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

This module examines the biochemical and neuro-anatomical bases of normal and abnormal cognitive aging.  You will look at the clinical and functional consequences of age­related changes in cognitive performance; the aetiology of abnormal changes, including organic dementias of different origins; and the underlying physiology that supports these changes. You will examine current treatment options and future treatment possibilities, including both drug and psychotherapeutic alternatives.

Reading, Writing and Dyslexia

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

This module explores how literacy skills develop in children, and relates this development (and abnormalities in development) to theoretical models of skilled reading (both word reading and comprehension). The main topics covered include the beginnings of literacy and the course of reading development (including both word identification and comprehension processes); phonological and metalinguistic skills and reading; developmental reading problems (developmental dyslexia, hyperlexia and comprehension difficulties) and their diagnosis and remediation; methods of teaching reading; the relation between reading and spelling development; and writing systems and writing development.

Sensory and Motor Functions of the Nervous System

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

Perceiving and acting upon the environment is something at which humans are expert. How does this ability to represent and act on visual and other sensory entities come about? Cognitive neuroscience is a diverse and interdisciplinary field of study that investigates the complex interplay of mental and brain function. This module provides an in-depth survey and analysis of behavioural observations, theoretical accounts, electrophysiological studies and imaging results on selected topics in cognitive neuroscience. Topics include: connections between sensory and motor function; cross-modal interaction; movement and event perception; development and plasticity of the nervous system; neural prediction and visual constancies; and compensation.

Social Insects

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

The eusocial insects comprise approximately 20,000 species of ants, termites, bees and wasps. Eusociality in these groups has evolved 20­-100 million years ago on approximately 10 occasions and has given rise to highly ­organized societies with up to 20 million individuals. Eusocial insects are of great economic and ecological importance. They are also key model systems in many important areas of biology.

The module is divided into several parts:

1) general background material on social insects, focusing in greater detail on four contrasting areas in which research on social insects is particularly active

2) inclusive fitness theory and relatedness

3) how insect societies are organised

4) another special topic relevant to social insect biology, such as mutualisms and symbioses involving social insects; the ecological importance of social insects; the evolution of eusociality in insects; or using social insects to investigate sensory physiology (topics will vary each year)

There will also be two laboratory sessions from a range including: the honey bee waggle dance, nestmate recognition and guarding in honey bees, organisation of ant trail systems, and reproductive queueing in Polistes wasps.

Structure and Function in the Brain

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

The Social Psychology of Prejudice

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

The module aims to build on your knowledge of intergroup relations gained in years 1 and 2 to provide an advanced social psychological analysis of the causes and cures of prejudice. It is organised into two major sections: individual: personality accounts; categorisation; stereotypes; automatic and controlled aspects of prejudice; modern forms of prejudice; and social: developmental aspects of prejudice; prejudice from the victim's perspective; prejudice as a response to perceived social disadvantage; intergroup emotions and prejudice; and reducing prejudice.

Topics in Cognitive Development

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

Topics in the Philosophy of Cognitive Science

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

This module examines various philosophical foundational issues in cognitive science by focussing on the nature and role of computation and representation in cognitive scientific explanations. In particular, the module asks the question: can our everyday way of understanding the mind, in terms of beliefs, desires and intentions, serve as a foundation for a scientific understanding of mind? The module then analyses various answers that have been given to this question.