Advanced topics in cognitive science

The course is aimed to familiarize participants with the current trends in research and controversies in cognitive science at the advanced level. The course will help students (1) broaden their knowledge of cognitive processes, their cerebral foundations, and computational models, (2) understand the main debates within contemporary cognitive science, (3) clarify their own research interests, chose their educational pathway and master's seminar.

The course is aimed to familiarize participants with the current

trends in research and controversies in cognitive science at the

advanced level. The course will help students (1) broaden their

knowledge of cognitive processes, their cerebral foundations, and

computational models, (2) understand the main debates within

contemporary cognitive science, (3) clarify their own research

interests, chose their educational pathway and master's seminar.

Course begins with an outline of current controversies around the

architecture of cognition, methods, and aims of cognitive science.

Further, the issues of elementary representations and cognitive

processes which enable the orientation in the physical and social

environments will be taken up, ending with the big issue of

consciousness. Then, some methodological issues concerning

current experimental methodology (especially replicability issue),

main approaches in computational modeling (deep learning,

Bayesian, predictive learning, formal modeling of brain connectivity),

and neuroimaging will be discussed. Debate on the radical

alternatives for the mainstream cognitive science („4E”: embodied,

embedded, extended and enacted cognition) is planned as

summing-up theoretical issues of cognitive science. The final

classes will be devoted to the application of cognitive science

(human/brain-computer interfaces, education, design, etc.)