Stephen Michael Kosslyn (born 1948) is an American

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how in ...

and

neuroscientist A neuroscientist (or neurobiologist) is a scientist who has specialised knowledge in neuroscience, a branch of biology that deals with the physiology, biochemistry, psychology, anatomy and molecular biology of neurons, neural circuits, and glial ...

. Kosslyn is best known for his work on visual cognition and the science of learning. Kosslyn currently serves as the president of Active Learning Sciences Inc., which helps institutions design active-learning based courses and educational programs. He is also the founder and chief academic officer of Foundry College, an online two-year college.

Biography

Kosslyn attended graduate school at

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is conside ...

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 Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher l ...

in 1977, where he is currently listed as

Professor Emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

. At Harvard, Kosslyn served as the departmental chair, Dean of Social Sciences, and the John Lindsley Professor. He also was co-director of the Mind of the Market Lab at

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...

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. Kosslyn was then the Founding Dean and Chief Academic Officer of the Minerva Schools (now Minerva University). Between 1998 and 2002, Kosslyn received $200,000 in donations from

Jeffrey Epstein Jeffrey Edward Epstein ( ; January 20, 1953August 10, 2019) was an American sex offender and financier. Epstein, who was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, began his professional life by teaching at the Dalton School in Manhattan, des ...

for his research. A report from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

shows 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 concluded 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 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 Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...

, 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).

Publications

Kosslyn has published over 350 scientific papers and written or co-authored 15 books and edited or co-edited 13 books, including: * 1980. ''Image and Mind'' * 1983. ''Ghosts in the Mind's Machine'' * 1992. ''Wet Mind'', with Olivier Koenig * 1994. ''Elements of Graph Design'' * 1994. ''Image and Brain'' * 2001. ''Psychology: The Brain, the Person, the World'' (2001, 2004), with R.S. Rosenberg * 2006. ''The Case for Mental Imagery'', with W.L. Thompson and G. Ganis * 2006. ''Graph Design for the Eye and Mind'' * 2006. ''Cognitive Psychology: Mind and Brain'' with E.E. Smith * 2007. ''Clear and to the Point: 8 Psychological Principles for Compelling PowerPoint Presentations'' * 2010. ''Psychology in Context'', with R.S. Rosenberg * 2010. ''Abnormal Psychology'' (2010, 2014), with R.S. Rosenberg * 2011. ''Better PowerPoint'' * 2013. ''Top Brain, Bottom Brain: Surprising Insights into How You Think'', with G.W. Miller This book develops a new theory of "cognitive modes" -- different thinking styles that affect how each of us approaches the world and interacts with other people. * 2017. ''Building the Intentional University'', edited with B. Nelson * 2019. ''Introducing Psychology: The Brain, the Person, the Group'' (5th edition), with R.S. Rosenberg * 2020. ''Active Learning Online: Five Principles that Make Online Courses Come Alive''

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 faculty Fellows of the Cognitive Science Society American expatriates in Switzerland