Module 21: Problem Solving Same place, different day. Perry is sitting at his desk again, staring at a blank document in front of him, while nervously playing with a pen in his right hand. Just a few hours left to hand in his essay, and he has not written a word. He rubs his fingers against his temple and mutters, "I need a plan!" That thing Perry is confronted with is something many of us encounters in his daily life. He has a problem, and he does not really know how to solve it. But what exactly is a problem? Are there strategies to solve problems? These are just a few of the questions we want to answer in this chapter.

Module 22: Judgment and Reasoning No matter which public topic you discuss or which personal aspect you worry about – you need reasons for your opinion and argumentation. Moreover, the ability of reasoning is responsible for your cognitive features of decision making and choosing among alternatives. Everyone uses these two abilities in everyday life to the utmost. Let us, therefore, consider one more scene of Perry's life: It is again a rainy afternoon and Perry is tired of observing the black crows in his garden and decides to escape from the shabby weather and spend his mid-semester break in Mexico. Perry has never been to Mexico before and is pretty excited. He will leave the next day; thus, he begins packing his bag. The crucial things first: some underwear, some socks, a pair of pajamas and his wash bag with a toothbrush, shampoo, soap, sunscreen, and bug spray. But, Perry cannot find the bug spray until his friend, Terry, tells him that he lost it and will buy him a new bottle. Terry advises Perry to take an umbrella for the way to the corner store as it is raining outside before he turns back to his packing task. But what did he already pack into his bag? Immediately, he remembers and continues, packing his clothing into the bag, considering that each piece fits another one and finally his iPod as he exclusively listens to music with this device. Since he is going on somewhere warm, Perry specifically packs shorts and T-Shirts into his bag. After approximately half an hour, he is finally convinced that he has done everything necessary for having some fine holidays. Using Perry's vacation preparation, we will explain the basic principles of reasoning and decision making.

Module 23: Decision Making According to the different levels of consequences, each process of making a decision requires appropriate effort and various aspects to be considered. The following excerpt from the story about Perry makes this obvious: “After considering facts like the warm weather in Mexico and shirts and shorts being much more comfortable in this case (information gathering and likelihood estimation) Perry reasons that he needs them for his vacation. In consequence, he finally makes the decision to pack mainly shirts and shorts in his bag (final act of choosing).” Now it seems like there cannot be any decision making without previous reasoning, but that is not true. Of course, there are situations in which someone decides to do something spontaneously, with no time to reason about it. We will not go into detail here, but you might think about questions like "Why do we choose one or another option in that case?"

Examines the development of computing techniques and technology in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, particularly critical evaluation of how the very idea of "computer" changes and evolves over time. Emphasis is on technical innovation, industrial development, social context, and the role of government. Topics include Babbage, Hollerith, differential analyzers, control systems, ENIAC, radar, operations research, computers as scientific instruments, the rise of "computer science," artificial intelligence, personal computers, and networks. Includes class visits by members of the MIT community who have made important historical contributions. This course focuses on one particular aspect of the history of computing: the use of the computer as a scientific instrument. The electronic digital computer was invented to do science, and its applications range from physics to mathematics to biology to the humanities. What has been the impact of computing on the practice of science? Is the computer different from other scientific instruments? Is computer simulation a valid form of scientific experiment? Can computer models be viewed as surrogate theories? How does the computer change the way scientists approach the notions of proof, expertise, and discovery? No comprehensive history of scientific computing has yet been written. This seminar examines scientific articles, participants' memoirs, and works by historians, sociologists, and anthropologists of science to provide multiple perspectives on the use of computers in diverse fields of physical, biological, and social sciences and the humanities. We explore how the computer transformed scientific practice, and how the culture of computing was influenced, in turn, by scientific applications.

Introduction to fundamental concepts in syntactic theory and its relation to issues in philosophy and cognitive psychology. Examples and exercises from a variety of languages. This course will acquaint you with some of the important results and ideas of the last half - century of research in syntax. We will explore a large number of issues and a large amount of data so that you can learn something of what this field is all about. From time to time, we will discuss related work in language acquisition and processing. The class will emphasize ideas and arguments for these ideas in addition to the the details of particular analyses. At the same time, you will learn the mechanics of one particular approach (sometimes called Principles and Parameters syntax). Most of all, the course tries to show why the study of syntax is exciting, and why its results are important to researchers in other language sciences. The class assumes some familiarity with basic concepts of theoretical linguistics, of the sort you could acquire in 24.900.

The Cognitive Psychology: An Open Educational Resource Collection (v0.1) is a collection of OER reading materials targeted towards an undergraduate-level Cognitive Psychology course. The readings are arranged in a series of modules which are organized by major topics in cognitive psychology (referred to as chapters in the table of contents below). The content in each chapter is intended to introduce key theories, concepts, and terms to the students and should be supplemented with lectures, activities, original research articles, and so on for information that goes beyond the topic overviews.

Psychology is designed to meet scope and sequence requirements for the single-semester introduction to psychology course. The book offers a comprehensive treatment of core concepts, grounded in both classic studies and current and emerging research. The text also includes coverage of the DSM-5 in examinations of psychological disorders. Psychology incorporates discussions that reflect the diversity within the discipline, as well as the diversity of cultures and communities across the globe.Senior Contributing AuthorsRose M. Spielman, Formerly of Quinnipiac UniversityContributing AuthorsKathryn Dumper, Bainbridge State CollegeWilliam Jenkins, Mercer UniversityArlene Lacombe, Saint Joseph's UniversityMarilyn Lovett, Livingstone CollegeMarion Perlmutter, University of Michigan

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Appreciate the diversity of interests and foci within psychologyUnderstand basic interests and applications in each of the described areas of psychologyDemonstrate familiarity with some of the major concepts or important figures in each of the described areas of psychology

Opening image caption:Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. (credit "background": modification of work by Nattachai Noogure; credit "top left": modification of work by U.S. Navy; credit "top middle-left": modification of work by Peter Shanks; credit "top middle-right": modification of work by "devinf"/Flickr; credit "top right": modification of work by Alejandra Quintero Sinisterra; credit "bottom left": modification of work by Gabriel Rocha; credit "bottom middle-left": modification of work by Caleb Roenigk; credit "bottom middle-right": modification of work by Staffan Scherz; credit "bottom right": modification of work by Czech Provincial Reconstruction Team)Psychology is designed to meet scope and sequence requirements for the single-semester introduction to psychology course. The book offers a comprehensive treatment of core concepts, grounded in both classic studies and current and emerging research. The text also includes coverage of the DSM-5 in examinations of psychological disorders. Psychology incorporates discussions that reflect the diversity within the discipline, as well as the diversity of cultures and communities across the globe.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe cognitionDistinguish concepts and prototypesExplain the difference between natural and artificial concepts

This course presents a tutorial on the ToBI (Tones and Break Indices) system, for labeling certain aspects of prosody in Mainstream American English (MAE-ToBI). The course is appropriate for undergrad or grad students with background in linguistics (phonology or phonetics), cognitive psychology (psycholinguistics), speech acoustics or music, who wish to learn about the prosody of speech, i.e. the intonation, rhythm, grouping and prominence patterns of spoken utterances, prosodic differences that signal meaning and phonetic implementation.

An introduction to the definition of cognition, including areas of interest including concepts, prototypes, and schemas. Duration: 3:14.