Psychology & Brain Sciences 391KN - S-Origins of Knowledge

What accounts for the human capacity to perceive and reason about the world? This course will explore the origins and development of human knowledge in the individual child, in relation to two larger time scales: biological evolution and historical/cultural change. The course centers on six case studies of knowledge development. The case studies draw on evidence from several disciplines including comparative psychology, behavioral ecology, cultural anthropology, linguistics, cognitive neuroscience, and history of science, but the main focus will be on experimental data from cognitive and developmental psychology. Questions include: How does human biology constrain and support human mental life? How variable is human knowledge across different cultures? What aspects of human knowledge are unique to our species and what aspects are shared by other animals? How does knowledge change as children grow and as adults gain expertise?

Open to Senior and Junior Psychology majors only. Pre Req: PSYCH 241