Human Attention

Course Description

This course reviews and discusses methods of research, current data, and current theories in the field of human attention. It is intended for undergraduate students with basic knowledge in cognitive psychology (prerequisites PSYCH 7A or 9A-B-C). Some questions we will consider are: What is attention? What are its manifestations and its functions? Its neural basis? What experimental techniques are used to study attention? What are the practical applications of this research? The course is multidisciplinary: centered on cognitive psychology but also drawing on neuroscience, computational modeling, and human factors. The class activities will include lectures, demonstrations, guided discussions, and brief (5-minute) student presentations. Reading materials of reasonable length (typically one textbook chapter) will be announced and made available at least one week prior to each class. Study questions will also be provided to guide you while you read the material. Please come prepared to answer the study questions in class, critique the experiments and theories, and lead a general discussion on these topics. The objective is that by the end of the course the students are familiar with the major empirical and theoretical results in the study of attention, understand the evidence behind these findings, and are able to discuss them with their peers and with the instructor.

The course syllabus is available in pdf format.