The Brain's Conductor: The Psychology of Focus, Flexibility, and Control
PSY 1351
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
Cognitive control, also known as executive function, is our ability to behave flexibly and not simply respond automatically to stimuli in our environment. It explains why you’re able to avoid answering your phone while driving or concentrate on finishing your homework in a crowded cafe, but also why you might catch yourself walking to last semester’s classes when the term changes, or find yourself opening social media apps on your phone without even realizing it. In this course we will dive into important topics in the study of control, discussing multitasking and task-switching; how we stop automatic actions and habits; how attention works; the ways that cognitive control changes over the lifespan, and how it is impacted by illness; whether brain training games make you smarter; how control interacts with short- and long-term memory; what role these processes play in COVID-19 brain fog; and much more.
Recommended Prep
The Psychology Department requires completion of Science of Living Systems 20 or Psychology 1 or the equivalent of introductory psychology (e.g. Psych AP=5 or IB =7 or Psyc S-1) and at least one foundational course from PSY 11, PSY 14, PSY 15, PSY 16, and PSY 18 before enrolling in this course; or permission of instructor.
Available for Harvard Cross Registration
