270098 Handlungssteuerung und Gehirn: "Did my neurons make me do it?" (S) (WiSe 2010/2011)

The seminar language will be English – basic (not advanced) skills in reading, writing, presentation and discussing are presupposed. We will read, present and discuss the book “Did my neurons make me do it?” written by a philosopher and a neuropsychologist. In terms of philosophy, basic ideas about the mind-body problem, causality, free will, etc. will be introduced and conceptualized in a coherent framework. In terms of psychology and neuroscience, basic ideas of action control, perception, consciousness, etc. will also be presented. The goal of the seminar will be to evaluate central claims of the book on how humans control voluntary actions. Evaluation should be made mainly at the empirical level in relationship to current cognitive neuroscience knowledge, that is, by referring to original experimental research papers (behavioral experiments, fMRI, neurophysiological recordings, patient studies). Each participant is expected to give a presentation (powerpoint, etc.) on sections of the book and on a related original research paper from cognitive neuroscience.

Requirements for participation, required level

This seminar will be mainly offered for MSc students of Psychology that have selected during their BSc studies courses in cognitive neuroscience (e.g., modules X and Y). Knowledge about the basics of action control, perception, memory and about experimental methods is presupposed (see, e.g., Gazzaniga, M. et al. (2008) Cognitive Neuroscience: The Biology of the Mind. Norton).

Bibliography

Murphy, N. & Brown, W. S. (2007). Did My Neurons Make Me Do It? Philosophical and Neurobiological Perspectives on Moral Responsibility and Free Will. Oxford University Press.