The sense of body ownership from a cognitive neuroscience perspective 2500-EN-CS-E-07
The distinction between what is one’s own body and what is not is critical for survival and thus fundamentally important for human perception, action, and cognition. Some individuals with damage to their frontal and parietal brain regions fail to recognize their limbs as their own body. What perceptual and neural mechanisms underlie the sense of bodily awareness? During this course, students will learn about the relevance of bodily self-awareness, its neurocognitive mechanisms, and state-of-the-art methods for testing it in the laboratory. Theoretical models, as well as practical implications for modern prosthetics and robotics, will also be discussed.
Learning activities:
This course will be organized into two online sessions that will include in-class presentations, group discussions, homework, and project work.
Learning outcomes
K_W05: Understand complex interactions between bodily awareness and other cognitive functions.
K_W03: Understand the strengths and limitations of different methods of studying the sense of body ownership.
K_U01: Be able to search for, select, and critically analyze scientific literature from different areas of cognitive neuroscience.
K_W06: Understand clinical and ethical considerations related to own body perception.
Assessment criteria
a) Components of the final grade and their weights
i) Short exam 50% (day 2)
ii) Group project 50% (day 2)
b) Grading scale
> 50%: 3
> 60%: 3+
> 70%: 4
> 80%: 4+
> 90%: 5
> 95%: 5!
c) Requirements for retaking the assessment – not applicable
d) Exams in the exam session – not applicable
Attendance rules:
Due to the course format, unexcused absences are not allowed. In justified cases, students may complete the course by submitting additional assignments.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: