Important resources, click links:
DAY AND TIME: Monday/Wednesday 11am-12-15pm
Lecturer: Dr. Rosa Arriaga (she, her, hers; arriaga@cc)
Office hours: by appointment.
Office hour: by appointment, you can also catch her on her walk to/from TSRB
Required Readings
Fridenberg & Silverman (THIRD Edition). Cognitive Science: An Introduction to the Study of Mind. Sage Publication. ISBN-13: 978-1483347417; ISBN-10: 1483347419. (You CAN'T use the First or Second edition since there are enough differences that you could be negatively impacted on exams, quizzes, etc)
If you are on a wait list please contact the professor and she will send you a PDF of Chapter 1.
From the course catalog:
Multidisciplinary perspectives on cognitive science. Interdisciplinary approaches to issues in cognition, including memory, language, problem solving, learning, perception, and action.
Beyond the course catalog:
This is NOT a computational cognitive science course. There will be no programming exercises. Rather, we will engage in critical thinking about the findings and methods that make up the vast discipline called “Cognitive Science” and what they tell us about the mind.
In this class we seek to understand the various ways scientists and others have studied the mind. We start with philosophy and end with embodied mind (robotics). At each turn, we will focus on the “ways of knowing the mind/brain.” Specifically, we will pay attention to the methodologies used by the various individuals that study the mind (e.g., scientists, philosophers, mathematicians). We will ask the question: “how can these findings, gathered from such disparate methods, be compared/contrasted to give us a better understanding of the mind?” Together, we will work to integrate the various perspectives by consulting the methods and primary literature in each area. We will consult a number of online media (lectures, films, podcasts) that will also serve as an introduction to preeminent scholars and themes. In addition, guest lecturers from around campus will share their cutting-edge research with us. The material covered in this class is a thin sampling of an expansive field. Students are encouraged to broaden their view of cognitive science (and that of the professor) by reading articles and doing projects that are in their domain of expertise.
GENERAL EDUCATION: A contemporary metaphor for the brain is the computer. In this course you will be asked to question/analyze this metaphor. You will also be asked to consider how the knowledge from this course can help you build better social/computational/engineering systems.
COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION: Neural networks take their inspiration from the human neuron, the brain's basic computational unit, but many other aspects of the brain are not considered. In this course you will be exposed to other aspects of the brain's information processing machinery. At every turn you will be asked to consider how to extrapolate what you learn to other computer science courses.
INTELLIGENCE THREAD: This course is a pick for the Embodied Intelligence Requirement. It is meant to have you consider new alternatives to creating AIs. Students are encouraged to reflect on this premise the entire semester and to write a reflection paper at the end of the term.
SKILL OUTCOME: This course encourages you to conceptualize novel intelligence systems based on Cognitive Science concepts/themes/insights.
PEOPLE THREAD: This course serves as a pick for the Human Centered Technology Requirement OR an Elective in the Human Cognition and Interaction. It is meant to expose you to central aspects of how humans process information also how this can be used to build better technology or computational interactions.
SKILL OUTCOME: This course builds your knowledge of quantitative methods.
Patience will continue to be in high demand as we face the term that lies ahead. Next, given that we are all under a lot of stress, respect and kindness must be the foundation of our interactions. Finally, we must uphold GT’s academic mission with our core value of integrity.
This class is designed to help students develop and use the critical thinking skills and experimental prowess that are characteristic of cognitive scientists. My goal is to create a dynamic learning environment—one where I will set the stage for learning, and where students will take responsibility for their own learning as well as contribute to the learning of others. This is referred to as an active learning approach. I encourage students to go beyond the class material and to seek information that supports this goal.
During this course you will…
Become familiar with many of the disciplines that make up Cognitive Science.
· Identify a variety of methods used by cognitive scientists and understand the implications that can be drawn from each type.
· Read primary sources by influential cognitive scientists and survey controversial issues in the area.
· Synthesize material from a variety of sources and extrapolate findings from one area to another.
· Develop Portfolio Material: You will write two papers (research paper and reflection paper) that can be used as writing sample for professional development.
· Articulate the value that neurodiversity brings to our community, work and academic environments.
· Design novel AIs based on material from the course
This class is highly customizable; students can choose the dates for their papers and quizzes as well as the topics they choose to explore. My lectures will draw extensively from the textbook material, and we will use other readings to enhance class discussion. There will be PowerPoint presentation handouts for each chapter, and these will be available online. We will access online content and may have guest speakers that will introduce you to cognitive science research going on around campus and around the world. All material introduced in class is subject to testing.
Please turn your phones to airplane mode (no calls, texts, social media etc) while you are “in class.” While in class, you are discouraged from using computers for note taking (see this) or otherwise (see this). Most of us feel that we are able to handle two tasks at once (i.e., taking notes and surfing the web). However, there is ample research that shows that multitasking is a fallacy (see this or this). Even your cell phones proximity effects your attention: https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/691462
Take this 1 hour and 15 minute class time as a break from your devices. Doodle if you prefer, it still engages other parts of your brain that are not engaged during typical device use.
The material from Week 2-Week 3 (includes Lectures, Chapter 1, Epstein Article, and Grosz Article (found on Canvas)) provides student with a set of foundational themes that they revisit for the remainder of the class. For example, on Exam 1 and Exam 2 there are specific questions where students are asked to consider foundational readings and themes and to apply/contrast/compare them to the current material from the course.
All quizzes are based on the Fridenberg & Silverman (THIRD Edition) textbook.
One of the fundamental results in Education is that increased learning (as measured by course outcomes) requires that students are tested on relevant material rather than simply allowing students to study on their own. Thus, we start each chapter with a quiz, 9 quizzes total! (You must be “in class” to take the quiz)
Quizzes start promptly at 5 minutes after the start of class, they last about 5-7 minutes depending on the number of questions.
One quiz per chapter; ~10 questions per quiz
Quizzes are taken on Canvas (via your phone or computer)
Open Notes/Book format, NO COLLABORATION permitted
Each of the two exams is made up of multiple-choice and short-answer questions related to class media, articles and discussion. There is no final exam.
WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS
Written work is an important part of many of the evaluation components. Students are expected to use best practices when submitting written work. This means clearly citing material that is not the students. A good guide can be found here.
A 6-page paper is required (not counting references). The rubric is available here. You may choose from 3 due dates, otherwise you will be assigned to one (see schedule). You must sign up on Canvas.
A 4-page paper is required (not counting references). May not be on the same topic as the research paper. The rubric is available here.
Learning in this course requires that students “attend” class regularly, “arrive” on time, and contribute to class activities (discussion, journal entry).
Attendance, promptness, and preparedness/participation are worth 10% of the course grade. You can receive an "Absence" mark if you have an an unexcused absence or if you fail to turn in a class participation assignment. Your grade will be affected as follows
Attendance/PARTICIPATION ASSIGNMENTS
Students are expected to complete these assignments ahead of class (usually 10 minutes before class) and be prepared to participate in discussions related to the material. Additionally, the professor may call on you to share your entry. Equally important is that some of these probes will show up on the Exams. Also, these probes may inspire a topic for the research paper, reflection paper or E-log.
DETAILS: Participation assignments are submitted on Canvas. These entries are based on "probes." The probes will ask you to reflect on concepts, readings (text book, research articles), media, pop culture or other courses you have taken at Tech. This exercises is meant for you to consider, "what you think about the X," "how X relates to Y?" If the probe is based on readings then you must read the material ahead of answering the probe.
Additionally, there are scientific articles (Wynn, Simon, and one TBD) that have a specific Question Set associated with them. (The articles and questions will be in the Canvas file folder for the relevant module). These are also submitted in Canvas and the student will bring their responses to class as they may be asked to share response in group assignments. A subset of the questions will also be on the exam for the specific module.
Participation responses should be short (one or two paragraphs) but substantive. The written portion should take at most 15 minutes to complete. On any class day, students will be randomly chosen to share their entry. The idea is that if you are called on then you should be prepared to share your reflection.
Other Participation Opportunities
IF CLASS IS REMOTE: TA/Group Activity (occasional) Wednesdays:
Students are assigned to one specific TA. You will be asked to join your TA (remotely) for review current and past media, readings etc. This is an opportunity to stay up to date with the course material. Also, to discuss how the various modules intersect.
All students will be assigned to a team with about 4-5 students. During some group activities student will be presented with prompts to discuss with the group and upload to canvas. The TA will come around (either in person or remotely) to the groups in order to answer any questions that come up during the group discussion time.
POINT Allocation for submission (1 or 2 paragraphs)
0= no submission uploaded to canvas
1=Submitted "something" but may not completely address the probe or the response simply restates material from class or media. There was an attempt to answer the question but student missed the main point.
2=Submission addresses the question in a substantive manner (provides insight based on experience, other classes, or other material from class). For Thursday the submission must provide evidence that there was some discussion/interaction among the group.
Foundations Assessment 6%
Quizzes ( Best 6 out of 9) orig 18% 23%
Ch 1-6, 8, 9, 11
Examinations (2) orig 26% 21%
Module 1 (Ch 2-5),
Module 2 (Ch 6, 8, 9, 11)
RESEARCH Paper 20%
REFLECTION Paper 20%
Class Participation (Attendance and Canvas Entries) 10%
The grade assignments will be as follow:
90% or > earns an A;
80%-89.999% earns a B;
70%-79.999% earns a C;
60%-69.999% earns a D;
59.999% or < earns an F
Note: Because I give students the opportunity to earn extra credit, I don’t “curve” grades, and I don’t “round up.”
Policy on Retakes and Late work (see Appendix) but basically there are NO RETAKES FOR QUIZZES/EXAMs nor late ELOGS unless you have secured authorization from the Dean of Students Office for your absence from class.
Statement of Intent for Classroom Inclusivity
As a member of the Georgia Tech community, I am committed to creating a learning environment in which all of my students feel safe and included. Because we are individuals with varying needs, I am reliant on your feedback to achieve this goal. To that end, I invite you to enter into dialogue with me about the things I can stop, start, and continue doing to make my classroom an environment in which every student feels valued and can engage actively in our learning community.
NO-Phone Policy
Even your cell phones proximity effects your attention: https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/691462
You are allowed to “solidify” your final grade by 2 percentage points (earn 80% instead of 78%) by participating in studies with the Psychology Department (SONA) or HCI (in CoC). Three hours of experiments are equal to 1 grade point toward your final grade. Grade points only come in whole integers.
SONA CREDIT SUBMISSION: When you have all the credit you want to use toward your class grade (or by Monday of DeadWeek)-- you will take a screenshot that shows your name and that you allocated the credit to 3790. You will then upload it to Canvas to the SONA assignment.
You can also write and Expedition Log (ELOGs) for extra credit. Three ELOGs are equal to 1 grade point toward your final grade (this is assuming that you get full credit for each ELOG). You will then upload it to Canvas to the ELog assignment.
Communication with Professor and TA
Correspondence about Georgia Tech business must be conducted over GT email addresses. All GT-related business must be conducted with professional etiquette.
Students are responsible for:
documenting meaningful communication with the professor and TAs by sending an e-mail (with 3790 in the subject line) of the details to the person in question.
keeping track of all digital copies of your assignments. If material is misplaced during the semester, it is the student’s responsibility to replace it upon request.
The instructor and TAs will respond to email within 48 hours, but this doesnt include weekends.
Students with Disabilities
Students must provide the instructor with an accommodation letter from the Georgia Tech ADAPTS office (404-894-2564) within the first two weeks of class to have accommodations made. This will allow you to use your computer for note taking as well.
Georgia Tech requires students to adhere to high standards of integrity in their academic work. ALL BREACHES OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY WILL BE REPORTED TO THE DEAN OF STUDENTS AND WILL RESULT IN THE RELEVANT SANCTION. (From a drop in grade to an F) SEE APPENDIX FOR RELEVANT DETAILS