We support interdisciplinary connections and resources across the physical and social sciences, encouraging students and faculty to pursue research that spans many departments. Cognitive Science studies the fundamental workings of cognition and the mind. It investigates perception, action, language, knowledge, development, and thinking from multiple perspectives—theoretical, experimental, and computational.
Cognitive Science prepares students for graduate studies or work in areas that require a combination of technical skills, scientific reasoning, social and psychological sophistication, and excellent writing and speaking skills.
In the Field…
Barbara Lust:
Barbara Lust, Emeritus Professor who spearheaded the cognitive science program here at Cornell almost 40 years ago, published a new book titled The Acquisition of Relativization, Cambridge University Press, February 2026.
Gordon Pennycook:
Published a commentary in Current Opinion in Psychology, titled “Editorial overview: The psychology of misinformation.” This is an editorial overview for a special issue that Lisa Fazio and Gordon Pennycook edited. The special issue can be found here.
Was designated as the Dorothy and Ariz Mehta Faculty Leadership Fellow in the College of Arts & Sciences for a five-year period from July 2025 through June 2030.
Gordon Pennycook & David Rand:
A co-written article by Pennycook and Rand, “Durably Reducing Conspiracy Beliefs Through Dialogues With AI,” first published Sept. 13, 2024 in Science, has won the 2026 Newcomb Cleveland Prize from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Valerie Reyna:
Received the Lifetime Achievement Award to honor and individual who has made long-lasting and distinguished theoretical and empirical contributions to basic research in experimental psychology, awarded by the Society for Experimental Psychology and Cognitive Science.
Was awarded a new grant as principal investigator from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institute of Standards and Technology, titled “The Science of Substantial Similarity in AI-related Copyright Violations: Advancing Trustworthy AI.”
Was interviewed on the American Psychological Association (APA) podcast, “Speaking of Psychology”. Episode 348: “Teens, AI, and the science of risky decisions” which went live on September 24.
Cornell admits the Class of 2030 emphasizing real-world impact, enrolling 5,776 students from 102 countries. At Cornell University, the diverse cohort reflects the land-grant mission and applied learning goals across multiple colleges.
In his new book, “Humanities in the Time of AI,” professor Laurent Dubreuil argues that the arrival of AI may present an opportunity to “re-create scholarship.”
Read the newest Cog Sci Supers comic to follow the adventures of Phil, Ling, Sy, Nero, and Pasqual, Cog Sci's superheroes who each represent an area of study under the umbrella of Cognitive Science.
