FALL SEMESTER
PART 1: PSYCHOLOGY
1st week (Sept 8)
Introduction to cognitive science: the naturalism imperative.
Introduction to psychology. Central topic: the psychology of thinking.
Categorization and Concepts: the study of why things belong together.
Required readings:
Smith and Osherson 2, Chapter 1
Recommended:
Naturalisitc Imperative Chapter 1 pp. 1-11, Chapter 2.1
2nd week (Sept 15)
Categorization and concepts continued.
Required readings: same as previous week.
Recommended; Naturalistic Imperative: 2.2
3rd week (Sept 22)
Memory: how is information stored?
Required readings:
Smith and Osherson 1, Chapter 1
Recommended readings:
Naturalistic Imperative Chapter 3
4th week (Sept 29)
Memory continued.
Readings: same as previous week
5th week (Oct 6)
Reasoning and Problem Solving: how is information transformed?
Required readings:
Smith and Osherson 2, Chapter 8
Naturalistic Imperative Chapter 4
6th week (Oct 20) October 13 is Thankgiving.
Reasoning and Problem Solving continued
Readings: same as previous week
7th week (Oct 27)
Test #1
8th week (Nov 3)
Rationality: how well do humans think?
Required readings:
Smith and Osherson 1, Chapter 7
Stanovich and West (2000) Individual differences in reasoning: Implications for the rationality debate?
9th week (Nov 10)
Rationality continued. Readings as above.
10th week (Nov 17)
Summing up psychology: recurring themes, problems and dual-process theories of the mind
11th week (Nov 24)
The difficulties in naturalized thinking
Perhaps A.I. can break the circle in psychological theory. The Pre-history of A.I.
Readings: Haugeland chapter 1
12 week (Dec 1)
Formal Automated Systems and Computer Architecture: the basics of A.I.
Required readings:
Haugeland, Chapters 2 & 4
SPRING SEMESTER
PART 2: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
1st week (Jan 5)
Formal Automated Systems etc. continued.
Readings:
Same as 12th week
2nd week (Jan 12)
The computational solution to the paradox of mechanical reasoning: problems.
Required readings:
Haugeland, Chapters 3 & 5
3rd week (Jan 19)
The computational solution etc. continued.
Readings:
Same as above.
4th week (Jan 26)
Connectionism: Possible Alternative?
Required readings:
Smith and Osherson 1, pages 199 – 221, and pages 267 – 282
Recommended readings:
Connections and Symbols, edited by Steven Pinker and Jacques Mehler.
5th week (Feb 2)
Connectionism continued
Readings:
Same as above.
6th week (Feb 9)
Test #2
Reading Week Feb. 16- Feb.20
7th week (Feb 23)
Philosophy of Psychology: The Nature of Psychological theory and explanation.
Special topic: The Simulation problem and the criterion of the cognitive.
Recommended: Naturalisitc Imperative 1.1
9th week (Mar 2)
Philosophy of Mind: Materialism and Computational Functionalism.
10th week (Mar 9)
Philosophy of Mind: Problems with Computational Functionalism. Dynamical Systems Theory.
11th week (Mar 16)
Philosophy of Mind: Computationalism: Qualia and consciousness problems.
12th week (Mar 23)
Philosophy of Mind: Computationalism: problems with representation and content.
Recommended: Naturalistic Imperative 6.1.
13th week (March 30)
The Frame Problem and a Theory of Relevance Realization
Required Reading:
Relevance Realization and the Emerging Framework in Cognitive Science: copies available from instructor.
Recommended: Naturalistic imperative 6.3
14th week (Apr 6)
Applying the framework to consciousness and content.