FYP 120A
AMP:Introduction to Study of the Mind-Brain: Psychological, Biological, & Philosophical Perspectives
A consideration of three primary areas of research in cognitive science: attention, memory, and language. These topics are used to illustrate the techniques by which mental abilities are investigated and explained in psychology and neuroscience: the focus, in particular, is on the use of reaction time studies, brain imaging, and cell recordings to isolate the basic components that make up complex functions. In addition to the central concepts and theories in each area, the course will address philosophical implications of this research concerning how the mind and brain are related, how the mind-brain encodes or represents information, and the nature of consciousness. And there will be an emphasis on applying these findings to important problems, such as Alzheimer's disease and deficits due to brain damage. The class is taught by three members of the faculty from different disciplines and combines a whole-group lecture with small discussion classes. The goal is to give students a good understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of cognitive science and to help them develop the ability to think and write critically about scientific research into the mind-brain. Prerequisite: admission to the Hewlett Program in the Study of the Mind-Brain. This course is for first-year (non-transfer) students only. Students who are not first year students will be unenrolled from this course.
Instructors
Balota, Braver, Cohen-Shikora, David Balota, Emily Cohen-Shikora, Todd Braver
Reviews
Prof. Braver is a nice guy who really loves neuroscience, but lectures were very dense. Presentations seem like they're taken straight from an advanced neuroscience class and are far more detailed than is appropriate for a FYP.nnQuizzes are no longer based on the minutiae of these slides, but that doesn't make the lectures any more comprehensible.
2/6/2024
Prof. C-S is a very caring professor. Her lectures are clear and engaging. She's very accessible both in and out of class, responds quickly to emails, and answers questions clearly and concisely. Workload is quite reasonable.nnMy only complaint is that she didn't do more of the lecturing in the FYP!
2/6/2024
This class in general was a total mess. if anyone in the future just found out who the profs will be and is reading this DROP THE CLASS! There was no textbook and tests were insanely picky so you had to memorize everything on the slides and said by the prof. The only way I could study was rewatching every lecture. Learned absolutely nothing too.
1/2/2022
Braver could be a great man outside of this class but his lectures made my brain melt (in a bad way). Extremely unclear and easily got off topic in obscure ways. The tests were so detailed on the most unimportant things. I didn't learn anything and he doesn't facilitate learning, the only way to pass is to memorize everything. very disappointing.
1/2/2022
Cohen-Shikora was the saving grace of FYP. Her lectures were the only ones that made sense and kept me engaged. She seems very nice and her discussion sections were pretty fun. The feedback she gives on papers is kinda unhelpful but besides that she's a fine professor for lectures/ tests. I think she would do really well in a different class.
1/2/2022
He single handedly gave me imposter syndrome. He speaks 100,000 miles an hour and his tests are impossible. Numerous times I was tested on things I had less than 4 words about in my notes. He says offhand comments and then makes them worth 8 points on the tests. Ridiculous professor. I want to report him to the psych department.
12/7/2021
He has a Tesla Model 3. He speeds through the material. Half of the slides are discussed in the last 10 minutes. None of the slides relate with one another. ��
12/18/2020
I was not surprised when Braver announced that this was his first time teaching MBB. He is never able to finish lectures, yet the entire test covers the 37 slides he speeds through in the last 10 minutes of class. He's a decent guy and has great experience, but doesn't know how to teach. The class itself was underwhelming as well.
12/18/2020