PSYC 3397 Cognitive and Neural Bases of Person Knowledge
This course is discusses how people acquire knowledge about others. The first part of the course focuses on the perceptual mechanisms involved in the recognition of other agents, their identity, their facial expressions, and their actions. The second part of the course covers how these perceptual "ingredients" are used to make inferences about other people's mental states (i.e., their emotions), their beliefs, their goals, and their traits. During the course, we will read and discuss recent research articles, and explore how different types of evidence and different methods can be used to constrain theories of cognition and of the brain.
Course overview
- Department
- Psychology and Neuroscience
- School
- MCAS
- Credits
- 3
- Level
- Undergraduate
- Offered
- Annually
Catalog details
- Prerequisites
- PSYC1110
Requirements fulfilled
- Neuroscience B.S.: Cognitive Neuroscience (3 Credits) — Any one of the following courses (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
- Applied Psychology and Human Development: Major electives — any Psychology (PSYC) or Sociology (SOCY) course (no more than two electives from outside LSEHD) (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
Course evaluations
- Course rating
- 4.17 / 5 · Very Good
- Instructor rating
- 4.49 / 5 · Very Good
- Terms evaluated
- 3
| Term | Instructor | Course overall | Instructor overall | Well organized | Clear learning objectives | Intellectually challenging | Helpful assignments | Applicable beyond course | Attendance necessary | Weekly effort | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2026 | Stefano Anzellotti | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 1–3 hrs/week | 39 of 44 |
| Fall 2023 | Stefano Anzellotti | 4.3 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 1–3 hrs/week | 41 of 47 |
| Spring 2022 | Stefano Anzellotti | 4.3 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 1–3 hrs/week | 24 of 37 |