You’ve been involved with the UConn Cognitive Science program for a long time. How has it developed since you started?

It’s grown significantly, and there are many exciting opportunities now. For example, when I arrived, IBACS [the Institute for Brain and Cognitive Science] had just been established, creating mutual benefits between structures. We also have more research opportunities. One highlight from last year is the new 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 real-world settings. 

Other internal structures that our faculty collaborate with, like InCHIP and the Humanities Institute, have also evolved. The program itself is interdisciplinary, with six core departments and affiliates from 13 or 14 other departments. The courses offered span across these areas, ensuring that students interact with people who think differently, which is the core of an interdisciplinary program. 

Why is an interdisciplinary approach so important?

We wouldn’t have scientific progress without specialization, but where you really have these leaps in knowledge is when people leave their silos and they interact, not on the basis of the methods they are familiar with, but on the basis of the questions they want to answer.  It’s not like: We know how to use a hammer, so we all go out looking for nails. When we come across a new problem, we must often create a new tool to deal with it. And that’s the role that cognitive science can play, not just in the academic setting, but also for the kinds of tools our students will develop in the future. I think some of the best training they can get is with the combination of these different methodologies.   

What are the academic offerings in the cognitive science program?

We offer a major, a minor, both 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 WEIRD problem. Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic societies dominate psychological research. Around 96% of studies are based on North American college undergraduates, who are outliers in terms of mentality, behavior, and even perception. I want this program to contribute to addressing that 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 quantifying data. Our interdisciplinary program should foster these kinds of collaborations. 

What about non-major undergraduates? Why is cognitive science important for them?

I think the questions pertaining to the human mind and consciousness are the most important questions there are, and they’re intrinsically fascinating. When you begin to study your own thought processes as a species, at that meta level, it’s a whole other level of curiosity that you get to satisfy. But also, in terms of real-world skills, I think they’re a perfect example of the kind of education that will be required 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 the user, consumer psychology and their experience. Since the 1950s and 60s, one of cognitive science’s goals has been to understand and create reliable AI. Today’s large language models are built on cognitive science research. This makes cognitive science a key player in AI’s future, which will without a doubt play a big part in future jobs.  

Can you tell us about your research?

I’ve studied ritual for about two decades, and my current work extends into other areas of cultural practices and collective events, including politics and sports. One project examines how emotions spread at political rallies, while another looks at fan behavior in sports, from UConn games to football –what you call soccer!–stadiums in Brazil.   

Are there any misconceptions about cognitive science?

A major misconception is that cognitive science is just neuroscience. Most cognitive scientists aren’t studying the brain directly. Some do, but most are studying problems of computation, logic, consciousness, and problem-solving in group settings. It’s much broader than just the brain. It can be about computation. It can be about how you  create. It could be about logic, consciousness, or personal experience. 

What’s something you want people to know about your program?

I usually tell my students that your time in academia should give you two major skills. One is a proper understanding of the scientific method, and I mean this in a broad sense. I don’t mean to go and work in the chemistry lab—although you could do that. I mean, in the era 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 that is through the scientific method.   

And the second skill is an ability to engage with people who think differently. As anthropologist, this could be people who are living in faraway locations, like, for me, an island in the Indian Ocean. Or it could be your neighbors next door who have different political convictions than you. People just don’t engage with those they disagree with, and universities should teach you precisely to do that, to put yourself in somebody else’s shoes. I believe that the Cognitive Science Program is an ideal combination of those two skillsets. 

What’s your favorite UConn sports team?

My favorite sports are football (what you call soccer) and basketball. The former does not have much traction in the USA. 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 too. UConn’s basketball teams are phenomenal, and I am very happy for that! 

  

This Q&A is part of CLAS Visionary Voices, a series highlighting the College’s new academic leaders and their innovative visions for education, research, and outreach at UConn.