You’ve been involved with the UConn Cognitive Science program for a long time. How has it developed since you started?
It has grown significantly and now has many exciting opportunities. For example, when I arrived, IBACS [the Institute for Brain and Cognitive Science] had just been created, creating mutual benefits between structures. We also have more research opportunities. One of the highlights from last year is the Science Alliance Mobile (SAM), a repurposed truck-turned-mobile lab that UConn researchers and graduate students can use to conduct studies in schools, prisons, hospitals and other environments. others of the real world.
Other internal structures with which our faculty collaborates, such as InCHIP and the Institute of Humanities, have also evolved. The program itself is interdisciplinary, with six core departments and collaborators from 13 or 14 other departments. The courses offered span all of these areas, ensuring that students interact with like-minded people, which is the essence of an interdisciplinary program.
Why is an interdisciplinary approach so important?
We wouldn’t have scientific progress without specialization, but where you really get these leaps in knowledge is when people break out of their silos and they interact, not based on the methods they’re familiar with, but based on the questions they want to ask. . to answer It’s not like: We know how to use a hammer, so we all go out looking for nails. When we encounter a new problem, we often have to create a new tool to tackle it. And that’s the role that cognitive science can play, not only in the academic setting, but also for the kinds of tools that our students will develop in the future. I think some of the best training they can get is by combining these different methodologies.
What are the academic offerings in the cognitive science program?
We offer a master’s, a minor, a BA and a BS, and a graduate certificate. My vision is to create a graduate program that addresses what I consider the biggest problem in the psychological sciences today: the queer problem. Western, educated, industrialized, wealthy, and democratic societies dominate psychological research. About 96% of the studies are based on North American university students, who are more exceptional in terms of mentality, behavior and even perception. I want this program to contribute to addressing this imbalance.
We aim to bring a cultural perspective to psychology, encouraging researchers to leave their comfort zones and conduct fieldwork where life happens. At the same time, we want anthropologists to adopt more rigorous methods, including quantification of data. Our interdisciplinary program should foster these kinds of collaborations.
What about non-graduate students? Why is cognitive science important to them?
I think questions about the human mind and consciousness are the most important questions there are, and they’re fundamentally fascinating. When you start studying your own thought processes as a species, at that meta level, it’s a whole other level of curiosity to satisfy. But also, in terms of real-world skills, I think they’re a perfect example of the kind of education that’s going to be required in the movement.moving forward in a changing world. Whenever I check what kinds of jobs students have access to, I see that the good jobs are going to be at the intersection of the sciences and the humanities, and that’s where cognitive science lies.
User experience, for example: it’s something that a few decades ago, companies didn’t care much about. But now we’re living in a user and consumer market, so there’s a lot of pressure to understand users, consumer psychology and their experience. Since the 1950s and 60s, one of the goals of cognitive science has been to understand and create reliable AI. Today’s major language models are built on cognitive science research. This makes cognitive science a key player in the future of AI, which will no doubt play a large role in future work.
Can you tell us about your research?
I have studied ritual for about two decades, and my current work extends to other areas of cultural practices and collective events, including politics and sport. One project examines how emotions are spread at political rallies, while another looks at fan behavior in sports, from UConn games to football stadiums — what you call football! – in Brazil.
Are there any misconceptions about cognitive science?
A big misconception is that cognitive science is just neuroscience. Most cognitive scientists are not studying the brain directly. Some do, but most are studying problems of computation, logic, consciousness, and problem solving in group settings. It is much wider than just the brain. It may be about the calculation. It might have something to do with how you create. It can be about logic, awareness or personal experience.
What is something you want people to know about your program?
I usually tell my students that your time in academia should give you two main skills. One is a proper understanding of the scientific method, and I mean that in a broad sense. I don’t want to go and work in the chemistry lab – although you can do that. I mean, in the age of fake news and deep fakes, what counts as evidence? How can you be skeptical, how do you properly evaluate a proposition and the truth of that proposition? The best way to do this is through the scientific method.
And the second skill is the ability to engage with people who think differently. As an anthropologist, these can be people living in faraway places, like, for me, an island in the Indian Ocean. Or it could be your next-door neighbors who have different political beliefs than you. People simply don’t engage with those they disagree with, and universities should teach you to do just that, to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. I believe that the Cognitive Science Program is an ideal combination of these two skills.
What is your favorite UConn sports team?
My favorite sports are soccer (what you call soccer) and basketball. The former doesn’t have much traction in the US. But at UConn, basketball is part of the culture. I grew up in Greece and when our national team won the European Championship in 1987, it changed the sport in Greece. They built basketball hoops all over the country, and like most Greek kids, I played. The UConn basketball teams are phenomenal, and I’m so happy about that!
This Q&A is part of CLAS Visionary Voices, a series highlighting the College’s young academic leaders and their innovative visions for education, research and outreach at UConn.