Undergraduate Course: The Cognitive Neuroscience of Attention (PSYL10139)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Our senses are constantly reached by an incredible about of information coming from our own body and the external world that surround us. This course address the basic neuroscience of how the human brain processes and selects part of the information that reaches our senses allowing us to perceive it and interact with the external world. How does the brain control the focus of attention? How can attention influence sensory and motor processes? To answer these questions the course will cover models and mechanisms of attention based on a variety of neuroimaging findings. For each of the topic considered a brief history of attention research will be first presented followed by a discussion of current theories of attention. |
| Course description |
This course aims to introduce the cognitive and neural mechanisms of attention. Current theories of attention will be discussed considering evidence from a variety of neuroscience methods (from single neurons recordings to functional imaging techniques). The course will present the neural mechanisms underlying different varieties of attentional processes together with the links between attention and other cognitive functions.
This series of lectures will begin with an introduction to the basic methods of Cognitive Neuroscience and the anatomical basis of perception. The basic questions and controversies in research on attentional processes will be discussed together with an overview of selective attention. The course also aims to teach the different mechanisms responsible for the spatial orienting of attention including the behavioural and neuroimaging evidence for distinct top-down and bottom-up control attentional systems. The topics covered will include the neuropsychological syndromes related to disorders of spatial attention (neglect and exctinction) and the crossmodal links in spatial attention. In addition we will discuss how attention can bind different visual features into coherent objects as well as the concept of object-based attention. Finally, the links between attention and action will be discussed.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should be studying Psychology as their degree major, and have completed at least 3 Psychology courses at grade B or above. We will only consider University/College level courses. Applicants should note that, as with other popular courses, meeting the minimum does NOT guarantee admission. **Please note that upper level Psychology courses are high-demand, meaning that they have a very high number of students wishing to enrol in a very limited number of spaces.** These enrolments are managed strictly by the Visiting Student Office, in line with the quotas allocated by the department, and all enquiries to enrol in these courses must be made through the CAHSS Visiting Student Office. It is not appropriate for students to contact the department directly to request additional spaces. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2019/20, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 45 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 10,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
186 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Mid assignment (Proposal part 1) will involve a brief literature review and summary of a broad research question (30% of the overall mark - 2000 words maximum).
End-of course assignment - Proposal parts 1+2 (70% of the overall mark) will consist of a full research proposal. Students will have to address the comments raised in the feed-back to Part 1 (max 2000 words) and add Part 2 (max 1000 words) of the proposal which consists in the detailed description of one study aimed at addressing the research question presented in Part 1. This will require a detailed and explicit discussion of the chosen methodology and of the hypotheses/expected results. |
| Feedback |
Written feedback will be provided on the mid-assignment course work. The feedback will be presented as a list of points that students will have to address in the end of course assignment. Thus, the mid-course assignment is also formative for the final assignment. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- The students will learn the main methods of Cognitive Neuroscience and how these can be used to investigate attention.
- The student will learn the different research traditions in the history of attentional research and will be able to understand the main controversies that characterized this field of research.
- Referring to the relevant evidence, the students will be able to understand and explain the main theories and models of attentions, specifically top-down and bottom-up attentional processes, spatial attention, selective attention, disorders of attention, crossmodal links, object features integration and object based attention, and the links between attention and action.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | psychology,cognitive neuroscience,attention |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Elena Gherri
Tel: (0131 6)50 3340
Email: Elena.Gherri@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Alex MacAndrew
Tel: (0131 6)51 3733
Email: alexandra.macandrew@ed.ac.uk |
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