Cognitive Science at UC San Diego

Cognitive Science at UC San Diego Faculty, students, postdocs, staff, alumni, collaborators, and friends of the UCSD Cognitive Science We believe the combination is unique.

Cognitive Science at UCSD is more than a department and an academic program; it is a thriving community with over 60 faculty across the campus, uniting scholars in many different disciplines. This broader community gives cognitive science at UCSD an unusual scope and depth. Moreover, this community is not simply a passive resource; it is actively engaged in substantive interaction and has a major

presence on the campus. The department emphasizes three main areas of study:

Cognitive Science Triad

1. Brain - the understanding of neurobiological processes and phenomena
2. Behavior - the experimental methods and findings from the study of psychology, language, and the sociocultural environment
3. Computation - the powers and limits of various representations, coupled with studies of computational mechanisms

The study of cognition takes place within the controlled situations of the laboratory and the natural situations of the everyday world, as well as through modeling and simulation studies of these situations. The unit under study ranges from the individual neuron, to neural systems, to the individual person, to social groups in which language, social organization, and culture play important roles. The underlying philosophy of the department challenges faculty and students to be knowledgeable in and sympathetic to a wide variety of fields and techniques. For example, required topics for both undergraduates and graduates include courses in behavior, computation, and the neurobiological basis of cognition.

06/02/2026

Can you tell if you’re chatting with a human or AI? 💻

A new UC San Diego study found that advanced language models can pass a rigorous Turing test, with one model judged “human” 73% of the time in live conversations. The key: giving AI a specific persona to mimic human tone, behavior and even mistakes.

The research highlights a shift in how we think about artificial intelligence. It’s no longer just about knowledge or accuracy, but about humanlikeness and social behavior.

The implications are significant, especially when it comes to trust, online interactions and the potential for deception.

Read more about how UC San Diego researchers are helping us better understand the future of AI: https://bit.ly/4tVnmru

A live head to head test, human vs machine! A study conducted by Cameron Jones, who earned his doctorate in Cognitive Sc...
06/02/2026

A live head to head test, human vs machine! A study conducted by Cameron Jones, who earned his doctorate in Cognitive Science from UC San Diego in 2025, and Professor Ben Bergen asks whether a machine can imitate human conversation enough to convince us they're real. Can you tell?

A new UC San Diego study unveils the first empirical evidence that a modern artificial intelligence system can pass the Turing test — a major scientific benchmark that asks whether a machine can imitate human conversation so convincingly that people can’t reliably tell it apart from a real perso...

Jeff Elman, a founding member of the first Cognitive Science Department in the world, featured by Social Science Dean Ca...
06/02/2026

Jeff Elman, a founding member of the first Cognitive Science Department in the world, featured by Social Science Dean Carrol Padden. 🧠⚙️

Eight years ago this month, my former colleague, friend and predecessor as Dean of Social Sciences, Jeff Elman passed away. He left behind a tremendous legacy not only as dean but also as a founding member of the first Cognitive Science Department in the world.

Hey Cogsci Community, were hosting our first senior send-off! Expect fun activities, games, giveaways, a photo booth, an...
04/24/2026

Hey Cogsci Community, were hosting our first senior send-off! Expect fun activities, games, giveaways, a photo booth, and of course, plenty of tasty treats. Spots are limited. Register at the link in bio. 🎓🧠🔱
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Meet Kellina Tran, one of the incredible undergraduate advisors in the UCSD Cognitive Science department! 🎓😁Kellina help...
04/22/2026

Meet Kellina Tran, one of the incredible undergraduate advisors in the UCSD Cognitive Science department! 🎓😁

Kellina helps keep everything running smoothly for students, whether it’s navigating VAC, mapping out Annual Academic Plans, finding textbooks, exploring the Honors Program, or making sense of syllabi. If there’s a question, she’s probably already three steps ahead with the answer. 🧠

Fun fact about Kellina: She types using only her two index fingers and thumbs. ⌨️👆

Need guidance or just a helpful nudge in the right direction? Kellina’s got you covered, reach out on vac.ucsd.edu and [email protected] or stop by and say hi! 👋
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Philip Guo’s research-driven Python Tutor has powered hundreds of millions of code visualizations since 2010 — and new l...
03/20/2026

Philip Guo’s research-driven Python Tutor has powered hundreds of millions of code visualizations since 2010 — and new long-term impact recognition highlights why it still matters today
READ MORE by Christine Clark at cogsci.ucsd.edu
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UC San Diego’s Federico Rossano breaks down the science behind dogs’ “word buttons,” the global fascination it sparked, ...
03/18/2026

UC San Diego’s Federico Rossano breaks down the science behind dogs’ “word buttons,” the global fascination it sparked, and what it means for studying minds - animal and artificial.
READ MORE by Christine Clark at cogsci.ucsd.edu

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Happy Lunar New Year from the CogSci department! 🐴❤️ ------------ #2026
02/23/2026

Happy Lunar New Year from the CogSci department!
🐴❤️
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#2026

CogSci major specific career guidance through the Career Center will be available soon! Get quick personalized support w...
01/28/2026

CogSci major specific career guidance through the Career Center will be available soon! Get quick personalized support with a Career Peer Educator. ⚙️ rsvp at the link in bio.

Interested in studying abroad? Come out to the annual Study Abroad Expo which will take place on Thursday, October 23rd,...
10/20/2025

Interested in studying abroad? Come out to the annual Study Abroad Expo which will take place on Thursday, October 23rd, from 10:00am to 2:00pm at Town Square. Professor Jaime Pineda will be there from 12:00-1:00pm to answer questions about CogSci Classes.
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#2026

Address

9500 Gilman Drive
San Diego, CA
92093

Telephone

+18585346781

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