PHIL 44303/54303: Philosophy of Psychology (Spring 2025)
Prof. Eric Funkhouser
MWF 9:40-10:30; KIMP 0313
Topic: What is Psychology?
January 13
Introductions
January 15
Watson, "Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It" Notes
January 17
Intro to PoP, Chapter 1 Notes
Topic: Reduction and Autonomy
January 20
No Class -- MLK Day
January 22
Putnam, "The Nature of Mental States" Notes
January 24
"Functionalism" (SEP), Sections 1-3 only
Topic: Modularity, Cognitive Architecture, and Evolution
January 27
Intro to PoP, Chapter 2 Notes
First In-Class Reflection (20 minutes)
January 29
Intro to PoP, Chapter 3 Notes
January 31
Cont'd
February 3
"Evolutionary Psychology" (SEP), Sections 1-3 only Notes
February 5
Trivers, "The Evolution of Reciprocal Altruism" Notes
February 7
No in-person class. Video LINK good for one week.
February 10
Buss, "Evolutionary Psychology: A New Paradigm for Psychological Science" Notes
Second In-Class Reflection (20 minutes)
February 12
Cont'd
February 14
Buller, "Evolutionary Psychology: The Emperor's New Paradigm" Notes
Topic: Extended and Embodied Cognition
February 17
Geary, Vigil, and Byrd-Craven, "Evolution of Human Mate Choice" Notes
February 19
Intro to PoP, Chapter 5 Notes
February 21
Cont'd
February 24
Clark and Chalmers, "The Extended Mind" Notes
February 26
"Embodied Cognition" (SEP), Sections 1 and 2 only
February 28
Shapiro, "Flesh Matters: The Body in Cognition" Notes
March 3
Cont'd
March 5
Midterm Day 1
March 7
Midterm Day 2
Topic: Consciousness and Attention
March10
Intro to PoP, Chapter 7 Notes
March 12
Block, "On a Confusion about a Function of Consciousness", Sections 1-5 only Notes
March 14
Cont'd
March 17
March 19
Mele, "Free Will, Moral Responsibility, and Scientific Epiphenomenalism" Notes
March 21
Baumeister et al., "On the Necessity of Consciousness for Sophisticated Human Action" Notes
Third In-Class Reflection (20 minutes)
March 24-28: No Class -- Spring Break
Topic: Mindreading and Social Cognition
March 31
Intro to PoP, Chapter 8 Notes
April 2
Wimmer and Perner, "Beliefs about Beliefs" Notes
April 4
April 7
Baron-Cohen, Leslie, and Frith, "Does the Autistic Child Have a 'Theory of Mind'?" Notes
April 9
Onishi and Baillargeon, "Do 15-Month-Old Infants Understand False Beliefs?" Notes
April 11
Cont'd
April 14
Heyes and Frith, "The Cultural Evolution of Mind Reading" Notes
April 16
Krupenye et al., "Great Apes Anticipate that Other Individuals Will Act According to False Beliefs" Notes
Video from the ape experiments
Three videos on children and ToM: Video 1, Video 2, and Video 3
April 18
Cont'd
Fourth In-Class Reflection (20 minutes)
Topic: Concepts, Thought, and Language
April 21
Intro to PoP, Chapter 9 Notes
April 23
Davidson, "Thought and Talk" Notes
April 25
Bennett, "Thoughtful Brutes" Notes
April 28
Bermudez, "Animal Reasoning and Proto-Logic" Notes
April 30
Final Paper Due
May 7: 10:15-12:15
Final Exam