Concentration in Cognitive Science
Dr. Richard West (westrf@jmu.edu) , Concentration Coordinator
Purpose
The concentration in cognitive science is designed for students interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in cognitive science or one of the disciplines that it encompasses (e.g., cognitive psychology, sensation and perception, experimental psychology, neuroscience, etc.).
Overview
Cognitive Science is an interdisciplinary field that studies the nature of thinking and the mind. It encompasses the efforts of researchers from several disciplines, including Psychology, Neuroscience, Computer Science, Philosophy, Linguistics, Biology, and a variety of social sciences. Cognitive Science seeks to identify and understand the structures and processes that underlie cognition, and examines topics such as sensation, perception, vision, attention, consciousness, learning, memory, language, problem solving, reasoning, and decision making. Students will work throughout their two years on coursework, scholarly studies, and research in the cognitive science area.
Program Curriculum (36 credit hours)
Methodology and Research Core (15 credit hours)
- PSYC 605 - Intermediate Inferential Statistics (3 credit hours)
- PSYC 606 - Measurement Theory (3 credit hours)
- PSYC 608 - Multivariate Statistics for Psychology (3 credit hours)
- PSYC 700 - Thesis (6 credit hours)
Content Courses (9 credit hours)
- PSYC 613 - Cognitive Science (3 credit hours)
- PSYC 624 - Neuroscience (3 credit hours)
- PSYC 610 - Principles of Behavior Analysis -- OR -- PSYC 616 - Social Psychology (3 credit hours)
Electives (12 credit hours; approved by advisor)
Other experiences
In addition to coursework and other requirements of the Psychological Sciences Program (e.g., Apprenticeship, Research Roundtable), students participate in a monthly Concentration meeting where faculty and students discuss published research and professional issues related to cognitive science.
View representative scholarly work for students in this concentration
For further information, please contact the coordinator of the concentration in cognitive science, Dr. Richard West (westrf@jmu.edu)
