Cognitive Science at Heidelberg University
Visions & missions
Cognitive science is a field of study encompassing a wide range of disciplines, approaches, and methods converging on the study of cognition. As an interdisciplinary endeavor, it relies heavily on transdisciplinary exchange and collaborative work.
Our vision is to establish a cognitive science network at Heidelberg University, spanning over all four Fields of Focus. Our mission is to foster interdisciplinary collaborations both in research and teaching.
Teaching
The Cognitive Science Network has launched a Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS), which allows students that are enrolled in any Master's or PhD program at Heidelberg University to broaden their perspective by taking courses offered by members of the network.
Links
Mailing List
Stay up to date by subscribing to the Network's mailing list by sending an empty email to: MRA-COGSCI-PSY-subscribe-request@listserv.uni-heidelberg.de
Research topics and projects
Mind, brain, machine – The research conducted by the members of the network covers a broad range of topics.
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?
Person perception
Perceiving and evaluating other people is an active, partly subconscious process, which is influenced by factors of both the perceiver and the perceived person. How do people obtain, utilize, and integrate information about others, especially when it is inconsistent with existing knowledge? How do these processes change over the lifespan.
Funding
The Cognitive Science Network has been receiving financial support from the research councils of Field of Focus I, Field of Focus II, Field of Focus III, and Field of Focus IV.