OVERVIEW

Videoclip  

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to complete the competence on the cognitive processes through the deepening of the theoretical and methodological aspects of the application tools. The necessary empirical foundations and interdisciplinary aspects of these instruments will be considered.

A special emphasis will be placed on applications concerning individuals and organizations, related to the development of cognitive systems and models. Part of the course will be devoted to the analysis of the relationships between knowledge and work and technological contexts (task analysis, transfer of learning, innovation, cognitive ergonomics, etc.

TEACHING METHODS

Combination of traditional lectures and classroom discussion of the project selected by each student. 

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Program for students who follow the course for 6 credits

Choice of one of the two parts of the course (see program for 9 credits)

1. Methods of applied cognitive science.
2. Knowledge and technology. Applications of cognitive psychology

Program for students who follow the course for 9 credits

This program is valid also for Psychology students who follow the course for 8 credits.

According to the interests of the students some of the following topics will be treated at different levels of depth.

Part 1. Methods of applied cognitive sciences
1. Empirical study of cognitive processes. Epistemology and methodology. Description and explanation. Observation, laws, and theories. Concept of variable. Correlation. Scales of measurement. Experimental method. Differential method. Experimental errors. Experimental and null hypotheses. Example of a laboratory research.
2.  Simulation methodology. Definition of cognitive systems. Systems theory. Cognitive science. Concept of "model". Concept of simulation, Functions of simulation models. Validation of simulation models. Simulation and Artificial Intelligence. Cybernetics. Concpets of feedback, information, entropy. Information, probability, and structure. Symbolic AI. Computational processes, automata. Turing machine. Von Neumann architecture. Neural networks: parallel distributed processing. Perceptrons. What neural networks do. Other architectures. Learning in neural networks. Dynamical systems. Cognitive architectures. Agent simulations. Social simulations. Serious games.
3. Questionnaires and content analysis. Questionnaire techniques. Methods of content analysis.
4. Cognitive task analysis. Hierarchical task analysis. Applied CTA. Cognitive walkthrough. Cognitive work analysis. Critical incidents. Other methods. Case studies.

Part 2. Knowledge and technology. Applications of cognitive psychology
1. Attention.  Cognitive tunneling, visual search, asymmetries, capture, dual tasks. Attention and magic. Situation awareness and mental overload. Human error and methods of error detection.
2. Perception. Direct perception and affordances. Marr's theory. Reference systems. Diagrammatic reasoning.
3. Categorization. Experiments on analytic and holistic processes. Diagnosis problems in medicine.
4. Memory and knowledge representation. Semantic networks: ARCH. Inferences: conceptual dependence theory. False memories. Cognitive and causal maps. Ontologies. Representation of time.
5. Problem solving and learning. Solving strategies. Means-end analysis. Production systems. Learning systems (SHRDLU, STRIPS). Frame problem. Learning transfer.
6. Cognitive ergonomics, man-machine interfaces, usability. Case studies. Assistive applications.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bibliography for students who follow the course for 6 credits

For attending students lecture notes and slides of the course will be sufficient. Slides will be available on “Aulaweb” at the end of each block of lessons.

For non-attending students:

Materials (articles and texts) will be agreed with the teacher.

Bibliography for students who follow the course for 9 credits

Attending students

For attending students lecture notes and slides of the course will be sufficient. Slides will be available on “Aulaweb” at the end of each block of lessons.

Non-attending students

Materials (articles and texts) will be agreed with the teacher. 

All students are requested to discuss at the oral examination one paper (to be found on Aulaweb) reporting an experimental study. It can be replaced by the participation in one laboratory experiment. 

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

 Start of class: September 26, 2017

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral exam

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Oral examination on the topics covered in class and report on articles (in English) to be chosen among recommended  ones. The attending students are  given the option of presenting a brief report that will be discussed in the classroom and also at the final oral along with lecture notes.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Although the lectures will be delivered in Italian, on request the Lecturer will provide a comprehensive collection of teaching materials in English for the final exam (on "Aulaweb"), and this exam can be taken in English. On request of students, part of lectures can be delivered in English.

The more detailed program, the schedule of classes, study material and other detailed information to the exam procedure will be available on “Aulaweb”.

Students can attend the Laboratory of Psychology and Cognitive Science to participate in the preparation, administration and analysis of cognitive psychology experiments (see http://cognilab.disfor.unige.it).