Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary study of cognition.
Cognition includes mental states and processes such as thinking, reasoning, remembering, language understanding and generation, visual perception, learning, consciousness, emotions, etc. Some writers on cognitive science add cognitive anthropology to this list, and most would add the cognitive neurosciences. The former deals in part with the societal and cultural context mentioned above. We will review the history, nature, major findings, and philosophical implications of cognitive science, as covered in the Gardner book, supplemented by readings from anthologies and other sources. We will also discuss an interdisciplinary cognitive-science research project in narrative understanding conducted by members of the UB Center for Cognitive Science.