Applications of Cognitive Science

The purpose of this course to develop an understanding of how basic cognitive science becomes an application—or tries to. It is an excellent complement to Human Factors. The course will sample applications stemming from basic research in perception, learning, memory, and cognitive neuroscience, in collaboration with other disciplines. Examples are virtual reality environments, computer-generated navigation systems, cognitive tutors, decision aids, guidelines for eyewitness interrogation, neuro-marketing, and speech recognition and synthesis. No background in psychology is required, as the general topics will be covered along with the applications. The goals are for students to acquire fundamental knowledge of cognitive science and to learn how basic research is applied. As the course progresses, the class arrives at a shared understanding of how promising and relevant research becomes an application, as well as what stands in the way.