Category L T P Credit
24AM230 COGNITIVE SCIENCE
ES 3 0 0 3
Preamble
To introduce students with the fundamentals of cognitive science, i.e. the study of the mind! The
course begins with the origins of the field and goes on to familiarize students with its
interdisciplinary perspectives on how the mind is organized and processes information.
Prerequisite
Nil
Course Outcomes
On the successful completion of the course, students will be able to
COs Course Outcomes TCE Expected Expected
Proficiency Proficiency Attainment
Scale in % Level %
CO1 Cognize the basic concepts of Cognitive B 80
Science, Psychology, Nervous system and TPS2
brain
CO2 Explain the Brain and sensory motor B 80
information and the representation of sensory TPS2
information
CO3 Implement affordances in biological and B 80
artificial systems and also Cognitive TPS3
Development.
CO4 Develop a comprehensive understanding of B 80
how the human mind functions in both TPS3
individual and social contexts
CO5 Identify the role of perception and action in B 80
cognition, understanding how sensory input is
TPS3
processed by the brain and how this leads to
behavioral responses.
CO6 Determine the cognitive processes involved in B 80
learning and memory and their neural TPS3
substrates.
Mapping with Programme Outcomes
COs PO1 PO2 PO3 PO4 PO5 PO6 PO7 PO8 PO9 PO10 PO11 PO12 PSO1 PSO2 PSO3
CO1 M L L L L L M L L
CO2 M L M M L L L L M L L
CO3 S M L M M M L L L L M L L
CO4 S M L M L L L L M L L
CO5 S M L M M L L L L M L L
CO6 S M L L M L L L L M L L
S- Strong; M-Medium; L-Low
Assessment Pattern
CO CAT1 CAT2 Assignment 1 Assignment 2 Terminal
TPS 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3
Scale
CO1 10 20 30 4 6
CO2 10 20 30 4 6
CO3 10 10 20 40 2 6 12
CO4 5 10 15 30 2 6 12
CO5 5 15 15 30 2 6 12
CO6 5 15 15 40 2 6 12
* Terminal examination should cover all Course Outcomes in the appropriate TPS Scale level.
Syllabus
Introduction: Introduction to the study of cognitive sciences. A brief history of cognitive
science. Methodological concerns in philosophy, artificial intelligence and psychology. Structure
and constituents of the brain; Brief history of neuroscience; Mathematical models; Looking at
brain signals; Processing of sensory information in the brain.
Neural Network Models: Neural Network Models; Processing of sensory information in the
brain; motor and sensory areas; Brain Imaging, fMRI, MEG, PET, EEG; Multisensory integration
in cortex; information fusion; from sensation to cognition, cybernetics; From physics to meaning;
Analog vs. Digital: Code duality.
Linguistic Knowledge: What is language? Linguistic knowledge: Syntax, semantics, (and
pragmatics); Generative linguistics; Brain and language; Language disorders; Lateralization;
The great past tense debate; Cognitivist and emergent standpoints; A robotic perspective.
Robotics: Affordances, direct perception, Ecological Psychology, affordance learning in
robotics; Development, child and robotic development; Attention and related concepts; Human
visual attention; Computational models of attention; Applications of computational models of
attentional.
Machine Learning Categories and concepts: Concept learning; Logic; Machine learning;
Constructing memories; Explicit vs. implicit memory; Information processing (three-boxes)
model of memory; Sensory memory; Short term memory; Long term memory; Rationality;
Bounded rationality; Prospect theory; Heuristics and biases; Reasoning in computers; Key
points in social cognition; Context and social judgment; Schemas; Social signals.
Case studies:
[Link] Design in the Development of a Mobile Banking App to improve user experience
(UX)
2. Improving User Interface (UI) Design Using Cognitive Science Principles for an E-Commerce
Website
3. DeepMind's AlphaGo: A case study on how AlphaGo, an AI program by DeepMind, uses
cognitive modeling (such as reinforcement learning) to outperform human players in the game
of Go.
4. Vision, Language, and Cognitive Control in Action Planning: Investigating how individuals use
visual cues to plan and execute motor actions, particularly when language is involved in
directing action.
5. The Apple iPhone: A case study on how Apple used cognitive principles (such as Fitts' Law
and Gestalt principles) to design the iPhone’s touchscreen interface, focusing on ease of use
and intuitive navigation.
Text Books
1. Don Norman, “The Design of Everyday Things”,Basic Books Publications,2014
2. Nir Eyal, “Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products”, Penguin Books Limited,2014.
[Link] Freidenberg and Gordon Silverman, Cognitive Science: An Introduction to the Study of
Mind,SAGE, 2016.
[Link] Hurwitz, Marcia Kaufman, Adrian Bowles, Cognitive Computing and Big Data Analytics,
Wiley Publications, 2015.
5. Robert A. Wilson, Frank C. Keil, “The MIT Encyclopedia of the Cognitive Sciences”,The MIT
Press, 1999.
[Link] Luis Bermúdez, Cognitive Science -An Introduction to the Science of the Mind,
Cambridge University Press 2020.
References Books & web resources
[Link] D. Goodman, Andreas Stuhlmuller, “The Design and Implementation of Probabilistic
Programming Languages”, Electronic version of book, [Link]
[Link] D. Goodman, Joshua B. Tenenbaum, The ProbMods Contributors, “Probabilistic Models
of Cognition”, Second Edition, 2016.
[Link] V Raghavan,Venkat [Link], VenuGovindaraju, C.R. Rao, Cognitive Computing:
Theory and Applications: (Handbook of Statistics 35), Elsevier publications, 2016.
Course Contents and Lecture Schedule
Module No. of
Topic
No. Periods
1 Introduction
1.1 Introduction to the study of cognitive sciences- A 1
brief history of cognitive science
1.2 Methodological concerns in philosophy, artificial 2
intelligence and psychology.
1.3 Structure and constituents of the brain; Brief history 1
of neuroscience;
1.4 Mathematical models; Looking at brain signals 1
1.5 Processing of sensory information in the brain 1
2 Neural Network Models
2.1 Neural Network Models; Processing of sensory 1
information in the brain
2.2 Motor and Sensory areas; Brain Imaging, fMRI, 2
MEG, PET, EEG
2.3 Multisensory integration in cortex 1
2.4 Information fusion from sensation to cognition 1
2.5 Cybernetics, from physics to meaning. 1
Module No. of
Topic
No. Periods
2.6 Analog vs. Digital: Code duality. 1
3 Linguistic Knowledge
3.1 What is language? Linguistic knowledge 1
3.2 Syntax, semantics and pragmatics 1
3.3 Generative linguistics; Brain and language 1
3.4 Language disorders; Lateralization 1
3.5 The great past tense debate 1
3.6 Cognitivist and emergent standpoints; A robotic 1
perspective
4 Robotics
4.1 Affordances, direct perception, Ecological 1
Psychology
4.2 Affordance learning in robotics; Development, child 1
and robotic development;
4.3 Attention and related concepts; Human visual 1
attention
4.4 Computational models of attention; 1
4.5 Applications of computational models of attentional. 1
5 Machine Learning Categories and concepts
5.1 Concept learning; Logic ; Machine learning 1
5.2 Constructing memories; Explicit vs. implicit memory 1
5.3 Information processing (three-boxes) model of 1
memory
5.4 Sensory memory; Short term memory; Long term 1
memory
5.5 Rationality; Bounded rationality; Prospect theory 1
5.6 Heuristics and biases; Reasoning in computers; Key 1
points in social cognition
5.7 Context and social judgment; Schemas; Social 1
signals.
6 Case study
6.1 Cognitive Design in the Development of a Mobile 1
Banking App to improve user experience (UX)
6.2 Improving User Interface (UI) Design Using 1
Cognitive Science Principles for an E-Commerce
Website
Module No. of
Topic
No. Periods
6.3 DeepMind's AlphaGo: A case study on how 1
AlphaGo, an AI program by DeepMind, uses
cognitive modeling (such as reinforcement learning)
to outperform human players in the game of Go.
6.4 Vision, Language, and Cognitive Control in Action 1
Planning:Investigating how individuals use visual
cues to plan and execute motor actions, particularly
when language is involved in directing action.
6.5 The Apple iPhone: A case study on how Apple used 1
cognitive principles (such as Fitts' Law and Gestalt
principles) to design the iPhone’s touchscreen
interface, focusing on ease of use and intuitive
navigation.
TOTAL 36
Course Designer(s):
1. [Link], Assistant Professor- sjacse@[Link]
2. [Link], Assistant Professor-ssacse@[Link]