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180106 VO Cognitive Science - Introduction and Basic Concepts (2019W)

3.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 18 - Philosophie

* For further information see: http://www.univie.ac.at/knowledge/peschl/

Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 30 participants

Language: English

Examination dates

Lecturers

Franz-Markus Peschl

Classes

Fri Sept 27, 2019 | 13 - 19h | HS 2i (NIG, Universitäststrasse 7, 2nd floor) | https://goo.gl/maps/zexCfcuDbJJtQjmz7
Introduction & Community Building (first meeting/Vorbesprechung)
This unit is open only to MEi:CogSci students!

Mo Sept 30, 2019 | 9 – 11h | HS 2i (NIG, Universitäststrasse 7, 2nd floor)
Presentation of MEi:CogSci courses and Mentoring
This unit is open only to MEi:CogSci students (and students who are interested in other courses offered by the MEi:CogSci program)!

Mo Sept 30, 2019 | 11–13h | HS 2i (NIG, Universitäststrasse 7, 2nd floor)
Introduction: What is Cognitive Science (+ first meeting/Vorbesprechung)
This unit is open to all students

Mo Oct 7, 2019 | 9–13h | HS 2i (NIG, Universitäststrasse 7, 2nd floor)
Approaches and Paradigms in Cognitive Science I
Cognitivist/Symbolic/propositional approach to cognition, Physical Symbol Systems Hypothesis (PSSH)

Mo Oct 14, 2019 | 9–13h | HS 2i (NIG, Universitäststrasse 7, 2nd floor)
Approaches and Paradigms in Cognitive Science II
Neural computation/networks, computational neuroscience, and connectionism
Basic concepts: Spreading activations, learning, subsymbolic representation

Mo Oct 21, 2019 | 9–13h | HS 2i (NIG, Universitäststrasse 7, 2nd floor)
Approaches and Paradigms in Cognitive Science III
Dynamical systems approach to cognition
Embodied cognition/knowledge, situated cognition, Artificial Life

Mo Oct 28, 2019 | 9–13h | HS 2i (NIG, Universitäststrasse 7, 2nd floor)
Approaches and Paradigms in Cognitive Science IV
Recent developments in Cognitive Science, 4E approaches & Philosophy of Science/Epistemological Foundations of Cognitive Science
Embedded & extended cognition, Enactivism, artifacts and cultural cognition
Predictive Mind/Coding
Overspill

Examinations:
You have to register for this examination date via https://uspace.univie.ac.at/ before the respective date! Otherwise you will not receive a grade for this exam. Please show up punctually for the given date/time.

* IMPORTANT: You have to *register* for this course via https://uspace.univie.ac.at/ | Otherwise we cannot issue a grade and you will not have access to the Moodle Platform. Further information about the registration period can be found in the description of this course and here: https://ssc-phil.univie.ac.at/en/
* It is highly recommended to combine this course with the course „Cognitive Science Peer Teaching Course KU“ for all students of the MEi:CogSci program and for those who want to deepen their knowledge in Cognitive Science.
* By registering for this course, you agree that the automated plagiarism check software Turnitin will check all written partial performances submitted by you (in Moodle).
* For further information see http://www.univie.ac.at/knowledge/peschl/

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

This lecture gives an introduction into the interdisciplinary field of cognitive science. It is designed to present and discuss the basic concepts of cognitive science, its particular (inter-)disciplinary structure, its models, paradigms, as well as its methods.

The focus of this lecture is on discovering and understanding the “big lines/trends” and theoretical trains of thought in the field of cognitive science. First, the object, the interdisciplinary structure, as well as the two fundamental concepts of cognitive science will be investigated: the paradigm of (cognition as) computation and the method of simulation.

The second part of this course covers the most important paradigms having been developed in the course of the relatively short history of cognitive science (historical and conceptual overview): the cognitivist/symbolic/propositional approach, mental imagery, neural computation/networks/connectionism, deep learning, the dynamical systems approach to cognition, embodied and situated cognition, extended cognition and enactivism, 4E approaches to cognition, predictive mind, as well as Artificial Life. In order to achieve a more profound understanding of these paradigms and their relations between each other we will take a closer look at the questions of what concept of cognition, knowledge, learning, etc. is prevalent in the particular approach. This will lead to a more integrative as well as interdisciplinary perspective taking into account the contributions of the participating disciplines.

The third part of this course deals with philosophy of science issues and epistemological of cognitive science: the process of (scientific) knowledge generation/construction and its cognitive foundation, the role of the method of simulation in the process of knowledge production (analytical vs. synthetic approach), scientific vs. everyday knowledge, types of knowledge (and their generation), knowledge construction, etc.

Besides that this course takes a closer critical look at the paradoxes, open questions, and problems in this relatively young field of science.

This lecture is mainly designed as an introductory course for students of the MEi:CogSci curriculum. Of course, the lecture is open to students from all disciplines who want to get an overview of the field of cognitive science. This course is designed for an interdisciplinary audience, however students should be at least in the final state of their baccalaureate or early masters studies (or—better—more advanced).
It is highly recommended to combine this course with the course „Cognitive Science Peer Teaching Course KU“ for all students of the MEi:CogSci program and for those who want to deepen their knowledge in Cognitive Science.
The slides for this lecture will be provided on the Moodle Platform.

If you are interested in being informed about cognitive science activities at the University of Vienna and in Vienna, have a look at the Vienna Cognitive Science Hub -> https://cogsci.univie.ac.at/
and subscribe to one of the mailing lists: https://cogsci.univie.ac.at/news-media/mailing-lists/

Assessment and permitted materials

see below

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

You have to register for this examination date via U:SPACE https://uspace.univie.ac.at/ before the examination date! Otherwise you will not receive a grade for this exam.

The examination of the lecture will be in the form of a "take-home exam":
On the date of the examination you will receive the questions via mail (if you are registered)
After 24h, at the latest, you will have to turn in your exam via the exam submission section in the Moodle Course of this lecture.

You have 24 hours to work on the questions at home.
Evaluation criteria:
- You are expected to produce a paper in the form of a short scientific paper (arguments, references, etc.)
- As this exam offers you plenty of time to work on, we expect high quality papers.
- The exam has to be written in English
- Originality
- Quality of arguments
- Consideration of your background discipline
- Interdisciplinarity

* If you do not have the necessary technical infrastructure (computer, internet access, etc.) to take the exam, please inform the course instructor at least 2 weeks before the exam date.
* By registering for this course, you agree that the automated plagiarism check software Turnitin will check all written (partial) performances submitted by you (in moodle).

Examination topics

The topics of the exam will be the discussion and interdisciplinary reflection of the topics, approaches, concepts, and models having been covered in the lecture.
The slides for this lecture will be provided on the Moodle Platform.

Reading list

Suggested readings:
Bechtel, W. and A. Abrahamsen (2002). Connectionism and the mind. Parallel processing, dynamics, and evolution in networks (second ed.). Malden, MA; Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishers.
Clark, A. (2001). Mindware. An introduction to the philosophy of cognitive science. New York: Oxford University Press.
Clark, A. (2008). Supersizing the mind. Embodiment, action, and cognitive extension. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press.
Clark, A. (2013). Whatever next? Predictive brains, situated agents, and the future of cognitive science. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 36(3), 1–73.
Clark, A. (2016). Surfing uncertainty. Prediction, action, and the embodied mind. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press.
Fingerhut, J., R. Hufendiek, and M. Wild (2013). Philosophie der Verkörperung. Einleitung. In J. Fingerhut, R. Hufendiek, and M. Wild (Eds.), Philosophie der Verkörperung. Grundlagentexte zu einer aktuellen Debatte, pp. 9–102. Berlin: Suhrkamp.
Friedenberg, J. and G. Silverman (2012). Cognitive science. An introduction to the study of the mind (second ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Froese, T. and E.A. Di Paolo (2011). The enactive approach. Theoretical sketches from cell to society. Pragmatics & Cognition 19(1), 1–36.
Harre, R. (2002). Cognitive science. A philosophical introduction. London: SAGE Publications.
Heras-Escribano, M. (2019). Pragmatism, enactivism, and ecological psychology: towards a unified approach to post-cognitivism. Synthese 196, 1–27.
Hohwy, J. (2013). The Predictive Mind. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Krippendorff, K. (2006). The semantic turn. A new foundation for design. Boca Raton, FL: Taylor and Francis CRC Press.
Menary, R. (Ed.). (2010). The extended mind. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Varela, F.J., E. Thompson, and E. Rosch (2016, 2nd ed.). The embodied mind: cognitive science and human experience. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Walter, S. (2014). Kognition. Stuttgart: Reclam Verlag.

Association in the course directory

Last modified: We 19.08.2020 07:48