Prerequisite: Business administration PhD student or instructor consent

We increasingly perform tasks using knowledge that we individually do not possess. Decisions and the solution to problems are as likely to arise from the interaction among people (and among people and artifacts), as they are to result from the capacity of a single individual. The use of various physical, social and intellectual resources to perform tasks has given us many benefits. It has also given us the ability to act without reflection (the philosopher A. N. Whitehead observed that civilization advances by extending the number of things we can do without thinking about them). An interesting consequence of reliance on the knowledge and thinking of others is that our mental models often become divorced from reality. When this happens individuals as well as organizations sometimes act counter to their best interests. Such actions reflect characteristics of the human mind and how it is (and is not) adapted to the demands of modern twentieth century life and work. In this course we examine research and theory on the nature of the mind and how it functions in the modern world.

Drawing on work in psychology, anthropology, philosophy and computer science we develop a framework for understanding the behavior of cognitive agents in various settings of work and daily life. We will be particularly interested in the role of consciousness (including intentionality and narrative thinking), the nature of representation (including the idea of self organizing systems) and the limits of cognitive capacity (e.g., bounded rationality) as explanations for behavior. Data from the study of research problems in the field settings (health care, manufacturing, financial markets) as well as the laboratory will be critiqued and evaluated. Alternative methodologies for investigating behavior will be explored.

Upon completion of the course students should be able to provide an informed critique of research as well as undertake the formulation of a research problem of modest scope using cognitive science theory and methodology. The course format will be lecture and discussion based on assigned readings from the research literature. Course requirements include a weekly synopsis of one assigned reading and a take-home final exam.

This graduate course aims to foster a deeper understanding of the brain bases of behavioral development through the exploration of developmental neurobiology and human systems neuroscience. The course content will include a foundation in embryology, growth and differentiation of neuronal tissues, the development of functional connections in the brain, regional organization and sculpting of cortical systems, patterns of post-natal growth, critical and sensitive periods in brain development, development of functional brain networks, and brain systems underlying key behavioral domains. Lecture, readings, and discussion will address evidence from developmental neurobiology, animal and human lesion models of structural and functional brain development, including various patient populations, as well as non-invasive neuroimaging methods appropriate for use in typical and atypical human development. This advanced course is intended to provide students with exposure to human developmental neuroscience research and methods, and to critically examine interpretations and implications of this work for understanding the development of human behavior.

Students are assumed to have a background in child psychology/psychology, including exposure to basic concepts of brain development; however, neuroscience background is not assumed.

The course may be taken for either 2 or 3 credits. The 2-credit option includes class attendance and participation, and a take-home final examination. The 3-credit option includes an additional assignment to write an NIH style grant proposal (e.g., R03 or R21) on a topic relevant to questions of pre- or post-natal brain development.

Office Hours: Tue, Thur 3-4pm
KHKH 6-111; 612-625-9597; cherk001@umn.edu

Teaching Assistant
Han-Tai Shiao
KHKH 6-110; shiao003@umn.edu Office Hours: TBD

Lecture time and place
Tue Thur, 1:00 to 2:15pm, MechE 212, video recorded lectures available on UNITE

Prerequisites
EE 3025 for ECE students, or Stat 3022 for non-ECE majors. Working knowledge of probability theory. Familiarity with computer programming using computer system of your choice for homework assignments. MATLAB or similar environment is recommended (for ECE students) but not required.  

Course Material
Text book Predictive Learning, by V. Cherkassky, 2013, see http://www.VCtextbook.com available for purchase at the University bookstore or at Amazon.com
Also, lecture notes + handouts posted on the course web page http://www.ece.umn.edu/users/cherkass/ee4389/
B. Russell, The Problems of Philosophy available online at http://www.readbookonline.net/title/985/ or http://www.ditext.com/russell/russell.html

Course Description
Advances in computer and database technology motivate the need for estimating dependencies (models) from available data. Often the main goal (of modeling) is to estimate a model providing generalization, i.e. good prediction for future data. Such methods have been developed in various fields including statistics, machine learning, neural networks, data mining, signal processing etc. This course presents description of predictive data-analytic modeling methods on several levels: conceptual/mathematical, technical and philosophical. The course consists of three related parts:
1. Conceptual/Theoretical Part deals with fundamental concepts and principles important for estimating predictive data-analytic models. These issues are addressed by the mathematical theory called Statistical Learning Theory, which is discussed in this course.
2. Technical/Practical Part focuses on constructive learning methods and applications. Representative learning methods include methods developed in machine learning, statistics and neural networks. These methods include Decision Trees, MultiLayer Perceptrons, Self-Organizing Maps, Support Vector Machines and Boosting. These methods are illustrated via practical applications, such as object recognition, financial engineering, signal denoising, etc.
3. Philosophical Part explores the connection between mathematical principles presented in Part 1, and the Philosophy of Science, which is concerned with general conditions for judging the validity (truthfulness) of scientific theories. Similarly, the fundamental principles of inference from data (discussed in Part 1) underlying machine learning algorithms (in Part 2) will be also related to mechanisms of human learning and intelligence.

Grading: 5 Homework assignments 45%
3 Writing assignments 30%
Midterm exam 25% on Nov. 19, 2013
There will be no final exam. All exams are open-book, open-notes.
Note: graduate students taking this course for credit (A-F) will perform individual course project (30%) instead of writing assignments. Project topics will be provided separately.

Prerequisite: PSY3001W or PSY3001V or instructor consent

Description: What is the nature of human happiness and fulfillment? To answer this, we will build on insights from many disciplines, including cognitive, personality and social psychology, biology and even economics. The course approaches happiness from multiple levels of analysis to build an integrative approach to the feelings that make life worth living. The course will cover the measurement of happiness, preference and utility (economic approaches), flow and states that give rise to happiness (social psychology), adaptation (personality and behavioral genetics), pleasure centers in the brain (neuroscience), addiction and depression (clinical psychology). Students will:

• (1) Learn the constituent properties of happiness, in terms of both basic mechanisms and individual differences
• (2) Conceptualize everyday, relevant and ancient questions in terms of objective evidence and experiment methodologies
• (3) Learn to scrutinize popular and scholarly articles from diverse fields in terms of soundness of the assumptions and strength of data
• (4) Practice drawing together a coherent argument from diverse sources, and balance evidence appropriately.

Class Time: 50% Lecture, 20% Discussion, 10% Small Group Activities, 20% Student Presentation.

Grade: 40% reports/papers, 12% special projects, 12% quizzes, 12% reflection paper, 12% in-class presentation, 12% class participation. Students will read texts describing research in the area; make in-class presentations based on the readings; report on a personal experiment; and participate in class discussion. Evaluation of student performance will be based on class presentations.

Prerequisite: Psy grad student or instructor consent

Seminar. Advanced topics in auditory and visual perception. Lecture, discussion, and student-led presentations of research papers on core topics of the peripheral visual and auditory systems, cortical representations, behavioral and brain-imaging methods, and computational approaches to understanding/simulating perception.

Grading: A-F only

Class time and location will be arranged with instructor.

This seminar will focus on typical and atypical sensorimotor development during infancy, childhood and adolescence. Specifically, we will read research articles and selected book chapters that cover the attainment of typical motor milestones and the corresponding neural development. We will contrast this knowledge of typical motor development with readings on the biomechanical and physiological features of dyscontrol associated with a range of childhood disorders such as autism spectrum disorders, attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorders or cerebral palsy. Time: T, W 12:45 - 2 pm

Prerequisite:

• Graduate student
• Junior/Senior having completed PSY3011, PSY3031, PSY3051 or PSY3061
• Instructor consent

Grading: A-F

Prerequisite: Grad student or instructor consent

Class time and location will be arranged with instructor.

This seminar will focus on typical and atypical sensorimotor development during infancy, childhood and adolescence. Specifically, we will read research articles and selected book chapters that cover the attainment of typical motor milestones and the corresponding neural development. We will contrast this knowledge of typical motor development with readings on the biomechanical and physiological features of dyscontrol associated with a range of childhood disorders such as autism spectrum disorders, attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorders or cerebral palsy.

This course gives students an overview into the fields of clinical physiology and clinical movement science. It provides a basic understanding of clinical issues related to human motor function and the physiological parameters of human performance. It presents the newest research methods to study human movement and physiological function and explains how these methods produce clinically relevant research findings. The course is designed to contrast normal development of human function throughout the lifespan and outlines relevant clinical issues of each life phase, such as childhood obesity or rehabilitation after stroke. This interdisciplinary course is suitable for students and professionals in such diverse fields as bioengineering, kinesiology, mechanical engineering, neuroscience, physical therapy, physiology, psychology, public health, and occupational therapy.

Objective: Stress responses are components of both the etiology and the expression of many psychiatric disorders. In addition, individuals differ in their stress vulnerability, with some seeming to thrive despite the odds and others succumbing to even relatively mild adversity. These individual differences are likely the interaction of genes and experiences. There is also increaing evidence that early experiences have long lasting effects on the neurobiology of stress. The goals of this seminar are to examine: (1) the current state of our knowledge regarding the developmental neurobiology of stress in animals and humans, (2) the impact of early experiences on the development of stress neurobiology, and (3) the relations between stress reactivity and regulation and emotion regulation, personality, temperament and behavior disorders. We focus on studies of the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenocortical (HPA) system and its central regulation. The HPA system is a critical system fostering both resilience and vulnerability to stress in animals and humans. We will also discuss the role of the sympathetic-adrenomedullary (SAM) system, that parasympathetic system (PNS) and immune system. By the end of the seminar, participants should be able to read and incorporate psychobiological studies of stress into their own research and thinking in any of these topics.

Plan for the Semester: There is a tremendous amount of detailed, technical neuroanatomy and physiology that needs to be transmitted succinctly and (hopefully) clearly before we can get down and dirty with the research literature. The first 4 sessions will be lecture sessions. The remainder of the course will be discussion sessions

What are adolescents, psychopaths and white-collar fraud artists thinking? Why does emotional trauma for victims of abuse last so long? Why is eye-witness memory so poor? Do violent video games lead to violent children? How can you get into the heads of the judge and jury? Lawyer and courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, are already integrating neuroscience research into their arguments and opinions on questions such as these. This class will introduce the exciting new field of "neurolaw" by covering issues such as neuroscience of criminal culpability, brain-based lie detection, cognitive enhancement, emotions, decision making, and much more. Along the way we'll discuss how the legal system can and should respond to new insights on topics as adolescent brain development, addiction, psychopathy, Alzheimer's, effects of combat on soldiers' brains, and concussions from sports injuries. (Note that all scientific material in class will be presented in an accessible manner, so no previous science background is required.)

Students in the Fall 2013 course will have an option of either taking a final exam or writing a final paper (minimum 20 pages).

Additional course information...

Download Law and Neuroscience syllabus (61kb)