180066 SE MEi:CogSci Journal Club (2012W)

Everyone has heard myths about the brain and the diverse range of regular and extreme mental phenomena, such as:

- You will die, if you don't get enough sleep.

- Chocolate makes you happy, scientists say.

- When you look at the mirror for too long, you will see the devil staring back at you! (and adaptations that involve chanting "Bloody Mary!")

- Out of body experiences happen when the soul leaves its mortal body.

- Patients with schizophrenia have multiple personalities and some of them… are dangerous.

The central topic of this Journal Club will be a scientific discussion of these and similar urban legends and fairy tails. Using original articles and current review papers, participants will conduct their own literature research on their favorite brain and mind myths to discover their origins and the potential underlying mechanisms. By having a profound understanding of the involved principles, from neuronal organization and function of neurotransmitters to psychological concepts or cognitive fallacies, we can answer questions that are usually not found in textbooks. Is it all a hoax or is there some grain of truth?

The participants of this Journal Club will learn to formulate a scientific question, find and judge literature resources, properly dissect articles, and present research data to finish with an evidence-grounded argument. Reflection, connecting dots and thinking outside the box will be encouraged and enforced.

Discussion of current research questions in cognitive science on the basis of primary literature. Selection of important current publications in the field of cognitive science and presentation and discussion in the course of the journal club.