Master of Arts or Science in Cognitive Science

• Comparative Cognition

  Comparative Cognition

  The main objective of the Comparative Cognition group is to explore and understand the biological origins of different mechanisms involved in human communication, cognition and culture. Research focuses primarily on non-human primates in their natural habitats in an effort to explain the evolutionary origins of what it means to be human.
   

• Cognitive and Developmental Psychology

  Cognitive and Developmental Psychology

  In the Cognitive Science Centre, the Cognitive and Developmental Psychology group concentrates its activity on the cognitive, affective and social processes that underlie the human capability to form, entertain and propagate beliefs and common interests. Research focuses notably on the different factors that influence trust in the testimony of others, on the metacognitive mechanisms that regulate confidence in one’s own mental representations, and on the social ‘arrangements’ that favor individuals’ adherence to social norms, beliefs and values. This group combines therefore different disciplines and methods to highlight the cognitive and social development of children and the diffusion of cultural representations.

• Linguistics and Pragmatics

  Linguistics and Pragmatics

  The Linguistics and Pragmatics group is interested in how the mind draws meaning from the linguistic stimuli. The group is composed of linguists who specialise in semantics, pragmatics, and discourse analysis. The group’s research ranges from micro-analysis in linguistics (tenses, modality, evidentiality) to macro issues in discourse analysis through problems like irony and reported speech. In recent years, research has focused on the cognitive foundations of persuasion and manipulation language.

• Psychology of Communication

  Psychology of Communication

  Communication is a fundamental human activity. The Psychology of Communication group studies communication in the context of everyday conversations. Conversations are coordinated in a moment-by-moment fashion by the participants themselves who construct and maintain a shared representation of the conversation. Our research investigates these coordination processes by analysing signals used, whether linguistic or non-verbal (gestures, gaze), using experimental methods and field studies. Our research also investigates factors affecting transmission of various beliefs (rumors, urban legends, social representations) and processes of content transformation.

• Eco-ethology

  Eco-ethology

  Cooperation within and between species (mutualism) is the central focus of the Eco-ethology research group. The group primarily focuses on marine species, including cleaning mutualisms and collaborative hunting in schools of fish, but also studies cooperation among vervet monkey groups. Our research aims to structure cooperation on game theory models and to refine them in collaboration with theoreticians. Particular attention is paid to the links between game theory, animal cognition, and behavioural endocrinology. Decision making in the context of social strategies will be an important topic for the future study.