Interdisciplinarity of Cognitive Science

Abstract

Definitions of cognitive science typically emphasize the field’s interdisciplinary roots. As a case study of the field of cognitive science, we analyzed the activities of the Cognitive Science Society with a particular emphasis on the interdisciplinary nature of the field, now and since its inception. Analyses of departmental affiliations, training backgrounds, research methodology, and paper citations suggest that the journal Cognitive Science and the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society are dominated by cognitive psychology and computer science, rather than being an equal division among the constituent disciplines of cognitive science. However, at many levels, a growing percentage of work was found to involve a conjunction of multiple disciplines, such that approximately 30-50% of recent work in the Cognitive Science Society is interdisciplinary. The goal of this symposium is to discuss the factors (psychological, historical, sociological, and others) that have lead to the current state of affairs, and what may be done to further increase interdisciplinarity in cognitive science.