Undergraduate Course: The Functional Organisation of Visual Cortex - A Cognitive Neuroscience Approach (PSYL10164)
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 | This course takes students through how the human visual system turns light entering our eyes into some of the amazing things we perceive each and every day.
In doing so, students will learn about some of the fundamental organising principles of human visual cortex and what experiments were done to uncover those principles. A major part of this course is a focus on the different cognitive neuroscience techniques that have been used to answer different questions about the visual system. Whenever the course introduces a new technique, there is a focus on its unique strengths and limitations.
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| Course description |
This course teaches students about the functional organisation of the human visual system and what neuronal principles govern that organisation. The course covers seminal work on the structure of the eye, the retina and ganglion cells and how visual information is transmitted to visual cortex. Once we have arrived at visual cortex, the course explores what different cognitive neuroscience techniques have taught us about its organisation. The course covers retinotopic mapping, the idea of functional specialisation, development, vision and memory and what happens when visual cortex is damaged. The course covers a plethora of cognitive neuroscience techniques from single cell recordings to whole brain functional imaging.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Psychology 2A (PSYL08011) AND
Psychology 2B (PSYL08012)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Psychology Honours courses are strictly only available to students in Y3 or Y4 of a Single or Joint Honours Degree in Psychology, Cognitive Science students, or medical students who are intercalating at Psychology. Visiting undergraduate students should check with the Visiting Student Office. |
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 2025/26, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
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Lecture Hours 20,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 4,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
172 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Midterm: Essay, 1000 words (30%)
Final: 3x short essays, 750 words each (70%) |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand the historical context, importance and limitations of early neuroscience approaches to uncovering brain function.
- Identify and appreciate the strengths and limitations of contemporary cognitive neuroscience approaches for investigating brain function.
- Compare, contrast and evaluate the predominant theories about visual cortex organisation.
- Critically evaluate research studies in the field of visual perception and cognition.
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Reading List
Each lecture will have a short reading list of two or three papers. A full reading list will be provided at the beginning of the course. The following are indicative of this reading:
Wandell, B. A., Dumoulin, S. O., & Brewer, A. A. (2007). Visual Field Maps in Human Cortex. Neuron, 56.
Kravitz, D. J., Saleem, K. S., Baker, C. I., Ungerleider, L. G., & Mishkin, M. (2013). The ventral visual pathway: an expanded neural framework for the processing of object quality. Trends in cognitive sciences, 17(1), 26-49.
Kravitz, D. J., Saleem, K. S., Baker, C. I., & Mishkin, M. (2011). A new neural framework for visuospatial processing. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 12(4), 217- 230.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Enquiry and lifelong learning
Personal and intellectual autonomy
Research and enquiry |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Edward Silson
Tel: (0131 6) 51 7112
Email: Ed.Silson@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Cameron Findlay
Tel:
Email: cameron.findlay@ed.ac.uk |
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