This course provides a hands-on introduction to Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) research. fMRI is a non-invasive neuroimaging technique that allows one to track brain activity more or less in real time as a subject completes a cognitive task. MRI is a recent technology and fMRI is an even more recent use of that technology. While it has traditionally been used to establish functional localization (i.e., mapping what brain regions are involved in what tasks), fMRI can also be used to answer important questions such as how the brain goes about solving these tasks (i.e.,what are the computations the brain performs). fMRI has been used widely in the field of cognitive neuroscience, but it has also been applied in fields such as economics, marketing, sociology, and information systems to name a few.
In this course, we will first cover the basics of MR physics in order to establish how fMRI works. We will then discuss considerations for fMRI experimental design. We will collect some fMRI data. We will spend the bulk of the course working on fMRI data analysis. By the end of this course, you should have the basic skills needed to collect and analyze an fMRI dataset.

The study of the neural systems that underlie human perception, memory and language; and of the pathological syndromes that result from damage to these systems.

In this course, we examine how the recording of eye movements can provide a moment-by-moment record of perceptual, cognitive and linguistic processes. Four areas of research will be discussed: (1) task-based scene perception; (2) language processing (in both reading and spoken language); (3) category learning, and (4) decision making. In all of these domains, eyetracking research has led to a greater understanding of how attention and information selection supports real-time cognitive processes. Students will have access to eyetracking systems, giving them hands-on experience in designing, running, and analyzing eyetracking experiments. By the end of the semester, students will have collected pilot eyetracking data. Projects will be done individually or within small research teams. Requirements: Weekly readings; class presentations and discussion; and a paper.

Introduction to the structure and function of the vertebrate nervous system. We begin with the cellular basis of neuronal activities, then discuss the physiological bases of motor control, sensory systems, motivated behaviors, and higher mental processes. This course is intended for students interested in the neurobiology of behavior, ranging from animal behaviors to clinical disorders.

The course combines classical theories of beauty with current empirical aesthetics. We will discuss a wide range of phenomena from immersion in imaginative worlds to creativity in the arts, narratives and everyday experience. We also review the evidence on the effects of aesthetic experience for happiness and therapeutic effects. Your task is to use some of these insights to conduct an experiment of your own design to test effects and impacts of aesthetics in various contexts. We will also visit the art museum to explore some aesthetic concepts—and to have experiences.

This intensive, discussion-based seminar will equip you with useful insight and critical analysis about Positive Psychology by emphasizing scientific literacy. The workload for this seminar requires intensive reading. To excel in this seminar, students must be willing to enthusiastically read, dissect, and critique ideas within Positive Psychology. This requires students to articulate various ideas in verbal and written form.

The choices that people make determine their lived experiences, their social, economic, and political realities, and their overall well-being. For this reason, the study of choice is of special interest across both the sciences and the humanities, and is a central focus of academic disciplines like psychology, economics, cognitive science, neuroscience, computer science, and philosophy. This course will introduce you to the interdisciplinary study of human choice behavior, and will examine in detail what we know about how people make choices, how observed choice patterns and mechanisms relate to those in animals and artificially intelligent machines, and how we can accurately predict and influence people’s choices and choice outcomes. The primary objective of this course is to build students' understanding and appreciation of the diverse perspectives on human choice behavior. Moreover, by exploring the mechanisms and nuances of decision-making, students will gain insight into their personal choice patterns and acquire strategies to improve their own choice outcomes.

Open to senior honors candidates in psychology. A two-semester sequence supporting the preparation of an honors thesis in psychology. Students will present their work in progress and develop skills in written and oral communication of scientific ideas. Prerequisite: Acceptance into the Honors Program in Psychology.

Introduction to the structure and function of the vertebrate nervous system. We begin with the cellular basis of neuronal activities, then discuss the physiological bases of motor control, sensory systems, motivated behaviors, and higher mental processes. This course is intended for students interested in the neurobiology of behavior, ranging from animal behaviors to clinical disorders.

This course will develop theoretical and computational approaches to structural and functional organization in the brain. The course will cover: (i) the basic biophysics of neural responses, (ii) neural coding and decoding with an emphasis on sensory systems, (iii) approaches to the study of networks of neurons, (iv) models of adaptation, learning and memory, (v) models of decision making, and (vi) ideas that address why the brain is organized the way that it is. The course will be appropriate for advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students. A knowledge of multi-variable calculus, linear algebra and differential equations is required (except by permission of the instructor). Prior exposure to neuroscience and/or Matlab programming will be helpful.