Cognitive Science

Test 2 / 2003

Modified: 3/12/2003

Instructions: Due before 2:10 p.m., Tuesday, March 25.

Use the CS main page, pages you find on your own, and e-mail sent to you as the source for your answers. You may submit your answers as hard copy or as e-mail (either as straight e-mail or as a Word attachment). Choose the method with which you are more comfortable.

Answers should be legible (i.e., not hand written), complete, thoughtful, and articulate. You may consult with me via e-mail as you develop your answers (probably a good strategy). Shoot for at least one page per question and do not simply copy and paste answers. Use quotes to indicate sources you found elsewhere and provide URLs or references where appropriate. Failure to properly cite sources may lead to a grade of zero for that item!

1. Why is cognitive science interested in physiology? What is the role of physiology in cognitive science theorizing? Provide an analogy relating the brain to a computer (be creative).

2. Describe the structure of spoken language. Be sure to include: phonology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. How does linguistics relate to language?

3. Why is vision so critical to cognitive science? Show how visual displays have evolved over the years and then predict what visual displays will look like in the future.

4. Imagine that you suddenly go blind. Give me an account of your day after becoming unable to see anything. How will you cope? What does your blindness tell you about the importance of vision to CS?

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