Regular colloquia are Wednesdays, 2:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M., in 280 Park Hall (unless otherwise noted), North Campus, and are open to the public. To receive email announcements of each event, please subscribe to one of our mailing lists by clicking the link that best describes you: student, UB Faculty and Staff, or Non-UB Cognitive Scientist. You can also subscribe to our calendar.
Background readings for each lecture are available to UB faculty and students on UB Learns. To access, please log in to UB Learns and select "Center for Cognitive Science" → "Course Documents" → "Background Readings for (Semester/Year)." If you are affiliated with UB and do not have access to the UBLearns website, please contact Eduardo Mercado III, director of the Center for Cognitive Science.
February 11
Speaker: Laurel Trainor
Professor, Department of Psychology, Neuroscience, & Behavior, McMaster University
Rhythms are found everywhere in biological systems, from motor movements for locomotion to communication signals such as speech and music. I will present evidence that infants are sensitive to musical rhythms from before birth and that temporal processing is a general principle of brain functioning. I will also present evidence that auditory-motor interactions for timing are present early in development and that the human auditory system uses the motor system to accomplish rhythmic timing. Finally, I will discuss the social implications of coordinated movements in human interactions from musical ensembles to pro-social behaviour in infants, and why music can improve wellbeing.
February 25
Speaker: Jamal Williams
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University at Buffalo
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder affecting approximately 12% of all school-aged children and is characterized by hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention. ADHD is highly heritable and recent large-scale studies have identified significant risk loci, yet its complex genetic architecture remains poorly characterized across non-European populations. This serves as a major problem as we move towards personalized medicine approaches. Previous studies have suggested that ancestral genetics cannot be generalized across polygenic risk prediction. In this presentation, I will talk about how we are approaching this critical issue and building diagnostic approaches that work for everyone.
March 11
Speaker: Rain Bosworth
Associate Professor, Department of Liberal Studies, Rochester Institute of Technology
TBA
April 22
Speaker: Jean-Pierre Koenig
Professor, Department of Linguistics, University at Buffalo
TBA