Culture, Brain, and Development at Hampshire College

Culture, Brain, and Development
The Culture, Brain, and Development program (CBD) encourages students to develop intellectually adventurous concentrations that engage the intersections of the social/cultural, cognitive, and biological sciences.

Funded by the Foundation for Psychocultural Research (FPR), CBD provides an arena in which perspectives from a range of disciplines are brought to bear on questions such as, “How does the brain make it natural to acquire, use, and create culture?” “What can neuroscience tell us about the nature of consciousness?” and, “How does life experience influence the expression of genes?”

CBD offers interdisciplinary courses; sponsors seminars, lectures, and conferences; and provides individual grants for original student and faculty research.

Student Project Titles

 * The Interplay of Implicit Prejudice and Emotion Using ERPs
 * Learning and Teaching Through Dramatic Conventions
 * Fragile X Syndrome: from Neuron to Cognition, an Interactive and Educational Exhibition
 * Neuroendocrine Correlates of Altruism and Aggression
 * Street Child Access to Health Care in Metro Manila, Philippines
 * How are Biology, Psychology and Culture Implicated in the Development of Emotional Life?
 * Comparison Between Chinese and Korean Psychiatrists’ Mental Health Practices
 * Socioeconomic Status and Autism Spectrum Disorder

Featured Faculty Profiles
Laura Sizer Director of CBD, Associate Professor of Philosophy

Rachel Conrad Associate Director of CBD, Associate Professor of Psychology and Childhood Studies

Jane W. Couperus Assistant Professor of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

Sample First-Year Course

 * Adolescence

Adolescence is often thought of as a time of great change and upheaval as children navigate the transition into adulthood. Raging hormones, changing social expectations and relationships, and developing autonomy all contribute to this tumultuous time. Th is course will examine the biological, cognitive, and social changes that occur during adolescence to develop a better understanding of this unique period of development. Using psychological as well as neuroscience and social science literatures the course will examine adolescence through multiple perspectives to develop a well-rounded picture of this developmental period. Students will be asked to read primary literature in psychology and neuroscience as well as from other relevant fi elds such as anthropology and sociology.

Sample Courses at Hampshire

 * Apes & Language
 * The Biology & Sociology of Sports
 * Biopower, Biopolitics & Bare Life
 * Birth of Mind
 * Cognitive Development
 * Consciousness Considered
 * Consumption and Happiness
 * Crafting a Story of the Self: Perspectives on the Development of Personality
 * Creating Families
 * Developmental Psychopathology
 * Emotions
 * Evolutionary Biology
 * Human Biological Variation
 * Producing Youth/Culture
 * Real Kids
 * Sex on the Brain: Gender, Sex & Biology
 * Law, Identity & Bioscience
 * Minding Culture: The Case of Mental Illness
 * Neuroendocrinology of Behavior
 * Neuroscience of Personality

Through the Consortium

 * Child Development (UMass)
 * Cognition & Instruction Design (SC)
 * Feminism & Knowledge (MHC)
 * Hormones & Behavior (AC)
 * Language & Cognitive Development (UMass)
 * Science & Gender (AC)
 * Theory of Mind (SC)

Facilities and Resources
Hampshire is one of the few undergraduate institutions where students have the ability to do their own research examining brain activity. In the Event Related Potential (ERP) Lab, student researchers can use EEGs (electroencephalograms) to observe brain activity while participants perform various computer tasks. Th is allows us to learn about the timecourse and general location of brain activity related to specific tasks. Students learn to use these techniques through classes, and then work on faculty research and/or design their own research projects.

Hampshire has also recently added a neuroendocrinology lab to address questions about hormonal and nervous system correlates to behaviours. The lab equipment allows measurement of endocrine, neural, and other physiological paramaters. The Foundation for Psychocultural Research (FPR) funding through CBD supports student research in these laboratories, and several students have presented their findings at professional conferences.

Information Quoted From: http://www.hampshire.edu/admissions/cbd.htm