Psychology Building
Bloomington, IN 47405
Bloomington, IN 47405
Dr. Robert Goldstone is Distinguished Professor in the Psychological and Brain Sciences department and Cognitive Science program at Indiana University, where he has been a faculty member since 1991. He received a B.A. degree from Oberlin College in 1986 in cognitive science, a Master’s degree from University of Illinois in 1989, and a Ph.D. in psychology from University of Michigan in 1991. His research interests include concept learning and representation, perceptual learning, educational applications of cognitive science, decision making, collective behavior, and computational modeling of human cognition. His interests in education focus on learning and transfer in mathematics and science, computational models of learning, and the design of innovative learning technologies. He was awarded two American Psychological Association (APA) Young Investigator awards in 1995 for articles appearing in Journal of Experimental Psychology, the 1996 Chase Memorial Award for Outstanding Young Researcher in Cognitive Science, a 1997 James McKeen Cattell Sabbatical Award, the 2000 APA Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution to Psychology in the area of Cognition and Human Learning, a 2004 Troland research award from the National Academy of Sciences, and the 2024 Howard Crosby Warren Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Experimental Psychology from the Society of Experimental Psychologists “for elucidating human cognition and learning on both individual and collective levels.” He was the Executive Editor of Cognitive Science from 2001-2005, Associate Editor of Psychonomic Bulletin & Review from 1998-2000, Associate Editor of Cognitive Psychology and Topics in Cognitive Science from 2007-2013, Executive Editor of Current Directions in Psychological Science from 2019-2024, and Director of the Indiana University Cognitive Science Program from 2006-2011.
His laboratory, the Percepts and Concepts Laboratory, explores interactions between perceptual and conceptual learning, methods for learning concepts using computer simulations, decision-making, mathematical cognition, collective behavior, and the application of cognitive science for improving learning outcomes. The lab employs a dual approach of conducting psychological experiments alongside developing computational models to inform and explain empirical results.
For more information on Dr. Goldstone's work and publications, you can visit his faculty profile at Indiana University or his Curriculum Vitae.