Neuroscience & Behavior 309VA - Topics in Neuroscience and Behavior: 'Neuroscience of Visual Aesthetics'

What is the brain's role in appreciating art and beauty? This course covers major cognitive neuroscience methods, including behavioral paradigms, eye-tracking, EEG, MEG, fMRI, and statistical analysis, through primary literature in empirical aesthetics - the study of art and the brain. We focus on what these methods can and cannot achieve, rather than technical analytical details. The course primarily explores vision, while also touching upon other cognitive domains such as audition. Through reading, presenting, and constructively critiquing scientific papers, students develop the skills to independently evaluate cognitive neuroscience research.

Prereq: 8 credits in Neuroscience and Behavior or Psychology.