PSYC 2279 Fundamentals of Cognitive Neuroscience

Cognitive neuroscience investigates the brain mechanisms underlying human mental processing. This field has its roots in cognitive psychology, the scientific study of human mental processing, and behavioral neuroscience, the scientific study of animal brain processing, which have existed for well over a century. Although cognitive neuroscience lies at the intersection of cognitive psychology and behavioral neuroscience, non-invasive methods to investigate human brain function have emerged in only the last few decades. This course will cover the methods of cognitive neuroscience along with fundamental cognitive neuroscience findings on many topics including seeing, hearing, attention, action, memory, language, and social/emotional processing.

Course overview

Department
Psychology and Neuroscience
School
MCAS
Credits
3
Level
Undergraduate
Offered
Annually

Requirements fulfilled

  • Neuroscience B.S.: Foundation (24 Credits) — One of the following (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
  • Psychology B.A.: One course from the Biological/Cognitive cluster (3 credits) (Class of 2028 and After)
  • Psychology B.S.: One course from the Biological/Cognitive cluster (3 credits) (Class of 2028 and After)
  • Psychology B.A. (Class of 2027 and Before): Three 2000-level courses — Cognitive area (Class of 2027 and Before)
  • Psychology B.S. (Class of 2027 and Before): Three 2000-level courses — Cognitive area (Class of 2027 and Before)

Requirement eligibility can vary by school, cohort, and section. Confirm the selected section in EagleApps or with an advisor.

Official evaluation summary

4.33 / 5

Based on 40 aggregate responses from BC Avalanche/Blue evaluations.

Data freshness

Course and evaluation data last updated 2026-08-02. Source details and limitations are documented in Data Sources and Methodology.

Instructors

Sections

  • Section 01
    Fall 2026 · Scott Slotnick · Devlin Hall 10 TuTh 09:00AM-10:15AM · Offered