Cognitive neuroscience applies scientists’ ongoing discoveries about the brain to explain people’s everyday experiences. In this course, we will learn about the physical structures and functional networks that enable human vision and visual attention. Identifying what you see as a juice glass or a coffee cup depends on a complex interplay of brain functions, and attention itself remains under debate for many reasons. By examining key findings about how people recognize common objects and faces, we will explore how individual differences and environmental factors affect abilities that are often taken for granted. Building on this knowledge, we will develop a deeper understanding of attention from a neuroscientific perspective and compare this with individuals’, educators’, and families’ points of view.
Learning Outcomes:
1: Students will be able to name, locate, and describe key brain structures involved in visual perception and attention.
2: Students will be able to explain the main theories of face recognition and of attention.
3: Students will be able to name and explain a measure of attention drawn from each of these methods: social interaction, task completion, eye gaze, and neuroimaging.
4: Students will be able to identify and discuss at least two ongoing controversies relating to visual perception and attention.
5: Students will build their skills in searching for, critically reading, and explaining research results in writing and in an oral presentation.
6: Students will develop their skills in evaluating popular press and online claims about human vision and attention.
Delivery Method: Hybrid
Course Level: 2000-level
Credits: 4
T/F 8:30AM - 10:20AM (Full-term)
Maximum Enrollment: 25
Course Frequency: One time only
Categories: 2000 , All courses , Four Credit , Fully In-Person , New Courses , Psychology , Updates
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