Developmental Cognitive Science

Course Overview

Overview: How do children learn to reason in increasingly abstract ways? How do they learn language with such remarkable speed and fluidity? How do they use those reasoning and language skills to help them explain and understand people-s behaviour and emotions? These are examples of the types of questions that you will explore in this programme in Developmental Cognitive Science, an interdisciplinary field that brings together such disciplines as Developmental Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Computational Science, Neuroscience and Linguistics. This unique Developmental Cognitive Science postgraduate programme offered by The University of Edinburgh draws on the University of Edinburgh-s long tradition of research expertise in developmental psychology and cognitive science and seeks to enhance your understanding of key theoretical and practical issues about typical and atypical development in children and young people. Using research techniques from different disciplines, you will gain the skills required to conduct independent scientific research that addresses key issues in developmental cognitive science. Learning outcomes and careers: On successful completion of this programme, you will have gained: An in-depth understanding of key theoretical and practical issues about typical and atypical development in children and young people, from a cognitive science perspective, Knowledge of how questions about developmental changes in children-s cognitive abilities can be addressed using scientific methods drawn from a range of fields, including developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, computational modelling, neuroscience and linguistics, The skills to conduct high quality original research in developmental cognitive science, Critical thinking skills, The ability to evaluate published research studies in developmental cognitive science, The ability to make well-informed contributions to discussions about the interplay between developmental research and real-world applications/implications, The programme provides preparation for a range of career paths, including: PhD in Developmental Cognitive Science or in a related field, Professional doctorate/Masters training programme in Clinical or Educational Psychology with a view to practising as a Clinical or Educational Psychologist, A wide variety of careers where research skills, critical thinking skills, and understanding developmental processes to develop and evaluate practices and policies relating to children and young people- e. g. teaching, speech & language therapy, policy development in education, health and social care.