MIT Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences

The Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, engages in fundamental research in the areas of brain and neural systems, and cognitive processes.[1] The department is within the School of Science at the MIT and began initially as the Department of Psychology founded by the psychologist Hans-Lukas Teuber in 1964.[2][3] In 1986 the MIT Department of Psychology merged with the Whittaker College integrating Psychology and Neuroscience research to form the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences.[4]

MIT Building 46, the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences

Research edit

The department aims to understand the basic processes of intelligence and brain processes. It has four main themes of research:[5]

Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience
This deals with biology of neurons and cellular physiology.[6]
Systems Neuroscience
This deals with developing models of cognitive processes at the neural level. This includes developing algorithms and mathematical models of neural activity.[7]
Cognitive Science
This engages in the research of mind through the interdisciplinary approaches of psychology, computer science, mathematics and linguistics for the experimental analysis and mathematical modeling of cognitive processes. The Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences works in collaboration with the McGovern Institute and the Picower Institute, also at the MIT.[8][5]
Computation
This deals with the development of theoretical models that explains the processes of memory, language and reasoning using computer simulations and computational models.[9]

The Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences work in close collaboration with the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and the Computer Science department and the Centre for Biological and Computational Learning at the MIT.[8][5]

Researchers edit

The Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences has had several prominent scientists. These include:

Researcher Field
Steven Pinker Cognitive Psychologist [10]
Tomaso Poggio Mathematical Cognitive Scientist [11]
Joshua Tenenbaum Mathematical Cognitive Psychologist [12]
Suzanne Corkin Neuro-psychologist [13]
Emilio Bizzi Neuroscientist [14]
Rebecca Saxe Psychologist [15]
Roland William Fleming Experimental Psychologist [16]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "About BCS | Brain and Cognitive Sciences". bcs.mit.edu.
  2. ^ Bird, David (January 7, 1977). "HANS‐LUKAS TEUBER IS DEAD IN CARIBBEAN (Published 1977)". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
  3. ^ "The Department's Founders | Brain and Cognitive Sciences". bcs.mit.edu.
  4. ^ "Department of Psychology merges with Whittaker College to become the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences | Brain and Cognitive Sciences". bcs.mit.edu.
  5. ^ a b c "Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences < MIT". catalog.mit.edu.
  6. ^ "Cellular / Molecular Neuroscience | Brain and Cognitive Sciences". bcs.mit.edu.
  7. ^ "Systems Neuroscience | Brain and Cognitive Sciences". bcs.mit.edu.
  8. ^ a b "Cognitive Science | Brain and Cognitive Sciences". bcs.mit.edu.
  9. ^ "Computation | Brain and Cognitive Sciences". bcs.mit.edu.
  10. ^ Stanford, © Stanford University; Notice, California 94305 Copyright Complaints Trademark (November 3, 2004). "Exploring neuroscience-humanities links". Stanford University.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ "Tomaso Poggio".
  12. ^ "Joshua Tenenbaum | MIT CSAIL". www.csail.mit.edu.
  13. ^ "Suzanne Corkin, Who Helped Pinpoint Nature of Memory, Dies at 79". New York Times. May 27, 2016.
  14. ^ "Emilio Bizzi Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences MIT".
  15. ^ "Rebecca Saxe Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences MIT".
  16. ^ University of Giessen Webpage: https://www.allpsych.uni-giessen.de/fleminglab/

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