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Cognitive Science Fiction

Reading notes

As stated in the syllabus, by the end of this course, you will be…

  1. aware of common topics and methods in Cognitive Science (CogSci).
  2. aware of the real limitations, concerns, and ethical considerations in the CogSci.
  3. able to critically evaluate academic articles in CogSci and weigh different theoretical perspectives.
  4. critically engage with science fiction and other popular media presentations of CogSci.

In order to accomplish these particular goals, I have created quizzes that are meant to draw your attention to most important parts of the readings, but here are some additional thoughts on what you should be thinking about

Science Fiction

Main questions to ask yourself

  1. What is the cognitive science advancement that is being presented?
  2. How does this compare to current technologies/knowledge?
  3. Do you think that this imagined world is possible in the distant (or not so distant future)?
  4. Does it conflict with your knowledge of cognitive science?

What you do not need to pay attention to for this course

  • Artistic techniques including things like characterization, cinematography, writing style, etc. These are all important, and I welcome insightful thoughts on these in class but artistic criticism is not the point of the course

Cognitive Science

Main questions to ask your self:

  1. What is the main question being asked?
  2. What is the prior research that the researchers to ask this question?
  3. What is the study design and the most fundamental methods?
  4. What is the main conclusion of the results?

What you do not need to pay attention to for this course

  • You are not expected to understand the full context for why the researchers are doing the study or how it fits into other research. However, you should be able to point out what is the primary research question and the answer to that question in a sentence or two.
  • You do not need to spend a great deal of time understanding all the methods/results for each empirical article. If you are able to understand the main figures of the paper, that is sufficient understanding for this course.