Table of Contents - Hartwick College

Cognitive Science Minor
There has always been a fascination with how the mind works. How are
information and knowledge represented in the mind? What is the nature
of intelligence? How do we acquire and use language? How do we learn
and reason? Can we build robots that perceive, solve problems, and make
decisions like humans? How do brain lesions affect cognition? How is the
human brain different from the brain of other animals? Questions such as
these drive the field of cognitive science. In recent decades, researchers
from a variety of disciplines have joined forces to tackle these topics,
acknowledging the limitations of each discipline in isolation, and
recognizing the value in interdisciplinary contributions. The five primary
contributing disciplines in the study of cognitive science include:
Cognitive Psychology Cognitive psychologists use controlled
experimental research to study human mental processes. They contribute
to the field of cognitive science by developing formal theories and
sophisticated models of human cognition in areas such as perception,
concept formation, attention, language understanding, memory, problem
solving, decision making, reasoning, intelligence, etc. They often test and
modify these theories by means of computer simulations, comparing the
“minds” of humans and machines. Neurological evidence also provides
important contributions to their theory and model development; for
example, one popular model of the mind is analogous to neurons firing in
the brain.
Computer Science Computer science fits into the cognitive science field
in a unique way. It provides a mechanism to test alternative theories of
how intelligence works through experimentation. Researchers can build
computer models based on theories provided from psychology,
philosophy, biology, linguistics, and other disciplines to see how they
work.
Linguistics Each time we utter a phrase, we are performing a complex
operation that sets us apart from other living beings. Linguists study the
ways in which human beings acquire language; the structure of words and
sentences; the levels of meaning within language; and language’s effect on
human relationships. Linguists also examine language to understand how
a particular people organize reality and their surroundings, and how they
create meaning and culture.
Neuroscience Neuroscience is the study of the organization and
function of the nervous system. Study can be undertaken at the molecular,
cellular, systems, behavioral, and cognitive levels. Molecular neuroscience
examines molecules and the roles they play in nervous system function.
The study of how molecules work together to give the neuron and
associated cells their special properties is cellular neuroscience. Systems
neuroscience examines the way cells are organized into functional circuits
that process information and mediate behavior. The manner in which
cells and neural systems work together to produce integrated behavior is
behavioral neuroscience. Understanding the neural mechanisms
responsible for the higher levels of mental activity, such as memory,
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