Psychology & Brain Sciences 751 - CognitveDevlpmnt:Foundtns/Mind

Where does human knowledge come from? This course will explore the origins and nature of our cognitive capacities by examining how they develop across the lifespan within the individual child and in relation to two larger time scales: biological evolution and historical/cultural change. Sample topics include: basic perception, spatial navigation, object cognition, kinds and categories, understanding other minds, language, number, morality, and intergroup biases. Our understanding of each of these domains will be informed by a Developmental Science approach that examines evidence from multiple disciplines, including Developmental Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, Clinical Psychology, Philosophy of Mind, Anthropology, and the History of Science. This evidence will be brought to bear on questions including: How does knowledge change over the human lifespan? How does experience shape knowledge? How variable is human knowledge across different cultures? What aspects of knowledge are unique to our species, and what aspects are shared with other animals?

Open to Graduate students only.