Stephen Kosslyn

Stephen M. Kosslyn (born 1948) is an American psychologist and neuroscientist. He is a former chair of the psychology department and dean of social sciences at Harvard University. Kosslyn is currently the president of Active Learning Sciences, Inc., which helps institutions use AI to design, deliver, and assess active-learning based courses and educational programs. He is also Professor Emeritus at Harvard University.

Work

Stephen M. Kosslyn was an early contributor to cognitive science and then was one of the founders of cognitive neuroscience. He is best known for his work on mental imagery, the neural bases of visual cognition, and the science of learning.

Mental Imagery

Kosslyn investigated the nature of mental images (e.g., "seeing with the mind's eye"), through both empirical studies and theoretical models. For example, his studies demonstrated that people take longer to mentally scan greater distances across objects in their mental images, supporting the idea that mental images are in some ways like "mental pictures". He also found that people could detect more details of objects in their mental images when they mentally "zoomed in" on them. In addition, he documented that the size and shape of the "mental screen" on which visualized objects appear is similar in scope and shape to the field of visual attention in perception (when actually seeing, not visualizing with eyes closed). He and his colleagues also demonstrated that depictive ("picture-like") visual mental imagery can be implemented in computational systems, thereby removing much of the vagueness of the concept of mental imagery. These models posited that visual mental imagery relies on four distinct sets of processing components, which underlie generating the image, maintaining it, transforming it, and interpreting it. Research findings have supported this analysis, for example by documenting selective deficits following damage to different brain areas.

Brain Basis of Visual Cognition

Kosslyn proposed a detailed theory of how visual information is stored and accessed in the brain during cognition. According to this theory, visual mental images are generated into the occipital cortex when we need high resolution. After they are generated into this structure, they can be interpreted and transformed via interactions with specific other brain areas. As part of developing the theory, he and his colleagues elucidated the role of two complementary visual pathways in the brain: The dorsal stream ("where" pathway), which processes spatial and motion-related imagery, versus the ventral stream ("what" pathway), which processes shape and detailed visual characteristics. For example, Kosslyn and his colleagues showed that the dorsal stream functions differently in the two halves of the brain: the left cerebral hemisphere relies on "categorical" spatial representations (e.g., "left of"), whereas the right cerebral hemisphere relies on metric, "coordinate", representations. He and his colleagues found that different sorts of mental images are constructed by arranging parts using one or the other type of spatial relations. Furthermore, using a variety of methods, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), he and his colleagues showed that visual mental imagery relies on most of the same brain regions that underlie visual perception.

The Science of Learning

Kosslyn applied principles from cognitive science to improve how people learn. He initially formulated cognitive principles that make data displays—such as graphs, charts, and diagrams—more intuitive and easier to understand. Building on this, he extended these principles to presentation design and delivery. He developed evidence-based guidelines for creating effective PowerPoint slides and other forms of visual communication.

Kosslyn also drew on cognitive science to increase student engagement in digital environments. He devised concrete ways to design online courses based on how memory and attention work. These methods actively involve learners, such as by creating just-in-time breakout groups, providing real-time feedback, and providing chunked content. In addition, he developed new ways to use AI to leverage learning science in education. These methods deliver personalized, dynamic instruction as well as assess student learning and foster active engagement. In this context, he introduced the concept of the "Cognitive Amplifier Loop"—a procedure that helps humans interact with AI to enhance their cognitive strengths and compensate for their cognitive limitations.

Biography

Kosslyn attended graduate school at Stanford University and received a PhD in psychology from Stanford in 1974. After an appointment as assistant professor of psychology at Johns Hopkins, he joined the faculty at Harvard in 1977, where he later served as the departmental chair, Dean of Social Sciences, and the John Lindsley Professor. He also was codirector of the Mind of the Market Lab at Harvard Business School and was an associate in the department of neurology at the Massachusetts General Hospital. In 2010, Kosslyn was appointed director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. Following this, Kosslyn was the Founding Dean and Chief Academic Officer of the Minerva Schools (now Minerva University). He then was the founder and chief academic officer of Foundry College, an online two-year college. And, most recently, he is founder, President and CEO of Active Learning Sciences, Inc, and cofound of Zal.ai.

Between 1998 and 2002, Harvard received $200,000 in donations from Jeffrey Epstein to support Kosslyn's research. A report from Harvard University shows that Kosslyn had known Epstein for about nine years and supported his application as a visiting fellow in the department of psychology in September 2005. The report noted that Kosslyn did not disclose Epstein's donations in the accompanying documents. Epstein "lacked academic qualifications", but there was speculation that his application was approved with the support of Kosslyn as the head of the department. The report also noted that disclosure was not requested, and that Harvard—having accepted the gifts—was previously aware of this funding. Epstein withdrew from his appointment in 2006 following his arrest for sex criminal offenses.

Kosslyn has received numerous honors for his research. These include the National Academy of Sciences Initiatives in Research Award, the Prix Jean-Louis Signoret, three honorary doctorates (from the University of Caen, France; the University of Paris-Descartes, France; the University of Bern, Switzerland), a Guggenheim fellowship, and a Cattell Award. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Society of Experimental Psychologists, and Academia Rodinensis pro Remediatione (Switzerland).

Selected publications

Kosslyn has published over 350 scientific papers and written or co-authored 16 books and edited or co-edited 14 books, including the following:

Selected Books

* Kosslyn, Stephen M. (1980)
Image and mind
Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-44366-2. (https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674443662)
* Kosslyn, Stephen M. (1983)
Ghosts in the mind's machine: Creating and using images in the brain
New York: W. W. Norton. ISBN 978-0-393-95257-5. (https://www.amazon.com/Ghosts-Minds-Machine-Creating-Images/dp/0393952576)
* Kosslyn, Stephen M. (1994)
Elements of graph design
New York: W. H. Freeman. ISBN 978-0-7167-2362-2. (https://www.amazon.com/Elements-Graph-Design-Stephen Kosslyn/dp/071672362X).
* Kosslyn, Stephen M. (1994). Image and brain: The resolution of the imagery debate. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press. ISBN 978-0-262-277488. (https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/3653.003.0002)
* Kosslyn, Stephen M.; Koenig, Olivier (1995)
Wet mind: The new cognitive neuroscience
New York: Free Press. ISBN 978-0-02-874085-0. (https://w ww.amazon.com/Wet-Mind-New-Cognitive-Neuroscience/dp/0028740858)
* Kosslyn, Stephen M.; Rosenberg, Robin S. (2001)

New York: Allyn and Bacon. ISBN 978-0-205-27465-9. (https://books.google.com/books/about/Psychology.html?id=r1DuAAAAMAAJ)
* Kosslyn, Stephen M.; Thompson, William L.; Ganis, Giorgio (2006), The case for mental imagery. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-517908-8. (https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195179088.003.0006)
* Kosslyn, Stephen M. (2006)
Graph design for the eye and mind
New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-531184-6. (https://www.amazon.com/GraphDesign-Mind-Stephen-Kosslyn/dp/0195311841#detailBullets_feature_div)
* Smith, Edward E.; Kosslyn, Stephen M., eds. (2007)
Cognitive psychology: Mind and brain
Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson/Prentice Hall. ISBN 978-013-182508-6. (https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/64208315).
* Kosslyn, Stephen M. (2007)
Clear and to the point: 8 psychological principles for compelling PowerPoint presentations
New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19532069-5. (https://www.amazon.com/Clear-Point-Psychological-Principles-Presentations/dp/0195320697)
* Kosslyn, Stephen M.; Rosenberg, Robin S. (2010)
Psychology in context
New York: Allyn & Bacon. ISBN 9780205456147. (https://www.amazon.com/ Psychology-Context-3rd-Stephen-Kosslyn/dp/0205456146) (3rd ed.)
* Kosslyn, Stephen M. (2010)
Better PowerPoint: Quick fixes based on how your audience thinks
New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-537675-3. (https://www.amazon.com/Better-PowerPoint-Quick-Audience-Thinks/dp/0195376757)
* Kosslyn, Stephen M.; Miller, G. Wayne (2013)
Top brain, bottom brain: Surprising insights into how you think
Riverside: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4516-4510-1. (https://www.amazon.com/Top-Brain-Bottom-Surprising-Insights/dp/1451645104)
* Rosenberg, Robin, S.; Kosslyn, Stephen M. (2014). Abnormal psychology (2nd ed.). New York: Worth Publishing. ISBN 1429242167.
* Kosslyn, Stephen M.; Nelson, Ben, eds. (2017)
Building the intentional university: Minerva and the future of higher education
Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press. ISBN 978-0-262-03715-0. (https://www.amazon.com/Building-Intentional-University-Minerva-E ducation/dp/0262037157)
* Kosslyn, Stephen M. (2020)
Active learning online: Five principles that make online courses come alive
Boston, Massachusetts: Alinea Learning. ISBN 978-1735810706. (https://www.amazon.com/Active-Learning-Online-Principles-Courses/dp/1735810703)
* Kosslyn, Stephen M. (2023)
Active learning with AI: A practical guide
Boston Massachusetts: Alinea Learning. ISBN 979-8989214006. (https://www.amazon.com/Active-Learning-AI-Practical-Guide/dp/B0CMPS7HCK#detailBullets feature_div)
* Kosslyn, Stephen M. (2024)
Learning to flourish in the age of AI
New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-032-68665-3. (https://www.amazon.com/ActiveLearning-AI-Practical-Guide/dp/B0CMPS7HCK#detailBullets_feature_div)

References

External links

Kosslyn Lab at Harvard University

"Psychology: From Theory to Practice - A Conversation with Stephen Kosslyn"
''Ideas Roadshow'', 2014

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kosslyn, Stephen
1948 births
Living people
American cognitive neuroscientists
University of California, Los Angeles alumni
Stanford University alumni
Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Johns Hopkins University faculty
Brandeis University faculty
Harvard University Department of Psychology faculty
Fellows of the Cognitive Science Society
American expatriates in Switzerland