Philip Johnson-Laird facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Philip N. Johnson-Laird
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| Born | 12 October 1936 |
| Alma mater | University College London |
| Known for | Mental models |
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| Thesis | An experimental investigation into one pragmatic factor governing the use of the english language (1967) |
| Doctoral advisor | Peter Cathcart Wason |
Philip Nicholas Johnson-Laird (born October 12, 1936) is a famous scientist. He studies how people think and use language. He is best known for creating the idea of "mental models." This idea helps us understand how our minds work.
He used to be a professor at Princeton University. He taught in their psychology department. He also wrote many important books about how humans think and reason.
Contents
About Philip Johnson-Laird
His Early Life and Education
Philip Johnson-Laird went to Culford School. Later, he studied at University College London. He earned his first degree there in 1964. Then, he completed his PhD in 1967. He became a Fellow of the college in 1994.
Before going to university, he had many different jobs. He worked as a surveyor, a musician, and even a hospital helper. He was also a librarian for a while.
His Amazing Career
Philip Johnson-Laird started his teaching career at University College London. He was an Assistant Lecturer and then a Lecturer from 1966 to 1973.
He also spent time as a Visiting Member at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. This was from 1971 to 1972.
Later, he became a Reader and then a Professor at the University of Sussex. He worked there in Experimental Psychology starting in 1973.
He was a Visiting Fellow at Stanford University in 1980. From 1983 to 1989, he worked at the Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in University of Cambridge. He was an Assistant Director there. During this time, he was also a Fellow at Darwin College, Cambridge.
He visited Stanford University again in 1985. He also visited Princeton University in 1986.
In 1989, he joined the psychology department at Princeton University. He became the Stuart Professor of Psychology in 1994. He retired from Princeton in 2012.
Awards and Honors
Philip Johnson-Laird has received many special honors. He is a member of the American Philosophical Society. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). This is a very high honor for scientists in the UK. He is also a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA).
He is a William James Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science. He is also a Fellow of the Cognitive Science Society.
Many universities have given him honorary doctorates. These include:
- Göteborg (1983)
- Padua (1997)
- Madrid (2000)
- Dublin (2000)
- Ghent (2002)
- Palermo (2005)
He has won several important awards for his work. These include:
- The Spearman Medal in 1974.
- The British Psychological Society President's Award in 1985.
- The International Prize from the Fyssen Foundation in 2002.
In 2001, he gave the Gifford Lectures at the University of Glasgow. These lectures were later published in a book. Since 2007, he has been a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences.
