Psychology & Brain Sciences 891VM - S-CognNeurosci/HiLvlVision&Mem

This course will examine high-level vision and memory from a cognitive neuroscience perspective. We will discuss current brain-based theories of high-level vision and memory, including accounts of visual object recognition, accounts of recognition memory and accounts of amnesia. We will examine the organization of these functions in the brain: Does the brain contain a "module" for faces? Do we have a brain region specialized for "expertise"? We will also look at the cognitive consequences of damage to brain regions important for these functions: Does damage in the medial temporal lobe lead to problems with visual perception, in addition to the well-documented impairments it causes in memory? We will learn about how these questions are investigated empirically, for example by using brain imaging techniques such as functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) or by conducting neuropsychological studies that examine human patients with amnesia.

Open to Graduate Psychology majors only.