Here are some of the topics that members of the Cognitive Science Network are working on.
Theory of neuroscience
What are the strengths and limitations of neuroscientific explanations? How are terms and concepts from psychology and philosophy (memory, cognition, consciousness) used in neurosciences and beyond? Are plants able to perform cognition? Are plants conscious?
Auditory perception and cognition
What are the neural correlates of auditory perception and cognition? How can the role of auditory and supramodal brain areas for perceptual awareness and auditory-based action sequences be disentangled?
Mind-wandering
Why do people sometimes begin to think about something that is unrelated to their current activities or tasks, for example while reading a text? What are the cognitive and neural correlates of this phenomenon called „mind-wandering“?
Cellular electrophysiology
What are the (differential) properties of different neuronal subtypes within neuronal networks? How are structure and function of pyramidal cells related (esp. with respect to the axon origin)? How are neurons connected in different local networks?
Physiology of memory-forming neuronal networks
How is neuronal network activity coordinated at the level of small neuronal networks? How are multiple single neurons entrained by network oscillations? Ho do they form co-active neuronal ensembles? How is network activity modulated by somatic feedback signals, e.g. breathing?
Systems neuroscience in mental disorders
How do abnormal neural network functions contribute to symptom formation in mental disorders such as psychotic and affective disorders? What is the neural basis for cognitive, perceptual and sensorimotor abnormalities in mental illness, and how could insights derived from polymodal non-invasive neuroimaging inform targeted interventions in persons affected by such symptoms?
Event cognition
How do people perceive and represent actions, motion, or 'change', in more general terms? One idea is that – to be able do this – people rely on cognitive units called "events". Event cognition research studies what drives event unit formation.
Low literacy
Which linguistic features make words, sentences, or texts hard to read for low literate persons? Which linguistic simplifications are helpful? Do the mechanisms of reading differ between low and high literates?
Decision Neuroscience of Human Interactions
How do humans make social decisions? How do they learn about each other? What are the neural underpinnings of such decision-making and learning processes? How can we devise computational models? How do these processes differ in individuals suffering from social and personality disorders?