This course provides an introduction into a neural process accounts for perception, motor control, and simple forms of cognition. The vantage point is the dynamical systems approach, which emphasizes the evolution in time of behavior and of neural activation patterns as the basis for understanding how neural networks together with sensory and motor systems generate behavior and cognition. Dynamic stability, a concept shared with the classical biological cybernetics framework, is one cornerstone of the approach. Instabilities (or bifurcations) extend this framework and provide a basis for understanding flexibility, task specific adjustment, adaptation, and learning.

The course will include tutorial modules that provide some of the mathematical foundations. Theoretical concepts will be exposed in reference to a number of experimental model systems such as the perception of motion, visual and spatial working memory, movement planning, and others. In the spirit of Braitenberg´s "synthetic psychology", autonomous robots will be used to illustrate some of the ideas.

Exercises are integrated into the lectures. They consist of elementary mathematical exercises, the design of (thought) experiments and their analysis, and analysis of theoretical models and their relationship to experiment, all on the basis of the theoretical framework exposed in the main lectures. Learning to produce scientific texts with appropriate illustrations and documenting mathematical ideas is one of the learning goals of the course.

Some of the exercises refer to readings, scientific papers that students will study to do the exercises. Learning to read and understand research papers is another learning goal of the course.

Prof. Dr. Gregor Schöner Lecturer	(+49) 234-32-27965 gregor.schoener@ini.rub.de NB 3/31
Dr.-Ing. Jean-Stephane Jokeit Teaching Assistant	jean-stephane.jokeit@ini.rub.de

Course type

Lectures

Credits

6 CP

Term

Winter Term 2017/2018

Lecture

Takes place every week on Thursday from 14:15 to 16:00 in room NB 3/57.
First appointment is on 12.10.2017
Last appointment is on 01.02.2018

Exercise

Takes place every week on Thursday from 16:15 to 17:00 in room NB 3/57.
First appointment is on 12.10.2017
Last appointment is on 01.02.2018

This course requires some basic math preparation, typically as covered in two semesters of higher mathematics (functions, differentiation, integration, differential equations, linear algebra). The course does not make extensive use of the underlying mathematical techniques, but uses the mathematical concepts to express scientific ideas. Students without prior training in the relevant mathematics may be able to follow the course, but will have to work harder to familiarize themselves with the concepts.

Exercises

Exercises are corrected and held by Jean-Stéphane Jokeit. Details on grading are available in the course rules below.

Literature

The course will be based on selected chapters of a textbook (Dynamic Thinking: A Primer on Dynamic Field Theory by Schöner, G., Spencer, J, and the DFT Research Group, Oxford University Press). The first two chapters are available for download in the course materials below. These and others will also serve as readings for some of the exercises. 

For the mathematical background in dynamical systems an excellent resource is a book that is available online as a free download (thanks to the author's generosity): Edward R. Scheinerman's Invitation to Dynamical Systems.  This book covers both discrete and continuous time dynamical systems, while in the course we will only make use of continuous time dynamical systems formalized as differential equations.