Examine how the mind works using an interdisciplinary perspective drawing on the core disciplines of psychology, neuroscience, computer science, philosophy and linguistics.
The major is designed to familiarize students with methodologies for studying the mind drawn from the core cognitive science disciplines and applied to central issues in cognitive science. For example, how do we interpret sensory experience? How is memory organized in the mind and brain? How do we remember and why do we forget? How are components of language (sound, meaning, syntax) represented in the mind and brain and how do they interact? What does consciousness add to cognition and what cognitive processes are nonconscious?
Majors are required to take a computer science course as well as a course with an experimental research requirement. Students acquire breadth with selection of courses that differ in disciplinary focus and depth by designing a concentration within a theme of cognitive science and taking an advanced seminar. All seniors complete a year-long senior thesis including original research designed in collaboration with the thesis advisor. The program emphasizes hands-on research and students are encouraged to obtain summer research positions, on or off campus.
What You’ll Study
- Computational models of the mind
- Cognition and the arts
- Why we are conscious
- Neural basis of cognition
- When cognition is nonconscious
Researching at Pomona
Stroop Interference
In Introduction to Cognitive Science, Elizabeth Ortega ’27 analyzed whether bilingual participants would experience greater Stroop interference when switching between Spanish and English.
Hand Gestures in Speech
In Dr. Lise Abrams’s Psycholinguistic Research in Memory Lab, Emma Constable ’26 contributed data coding on a study investigating the role of hand gestures in speech.
I strongly believe that one of the major’s greatest strengths is how customizable it is: its interdisciplinary nature encourages students to shape their own paths while equipping them with a strong foundation in critical thinking and research.