Achievements of Professor Mike Oaksford recognised by leading psychologists’ association
Professor Mike Oaksford has become a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science...
Professor Mike Oaksford has become a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science (APS) for his “sustained outstanding contributions to the advancement of psychological science.”
The Head of Birkbeck’s Department of Psychological Sciences, School of Science, received the honour from the US-based leading international organisation for academic psychology last month.
Oaksford’s research concerns how people reason and construct arguments, and how the emotions, both experienced and anticipated, affect people’s reasoning and decision making. He is one of the founders of Bayesian Cognitive Science, which uses Bayesian probability theory as a formal tool to model these cognitive functions. He recently co-edited the book Cognition and conditionals: probability and logic in human thinking (Oxford University Press).
Oaksford has led the Department of Psychological Sciences since joining Birkbeck in 2005. As well as teaching and research, he organises international academic conferences, including the International Conference on Thinking starting at Birkbeck today.
He said: “I am very honoured to be made a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science. I have always admired the activities and academic rigour of the APS and their continuing effort to promote the importance of psychology to society. Psychology continues to fascinate me after 30 years as an academic, and I’m looking forward to continuing my research into understanding the causes of human rationality and irrationality.”
Oaksford added: “I also thank Birkbeck and my academic and administrative colleagues in the Department of Psychological Sciences for the support that has made being Head of Department and continuing to do research possible. A big thanks also to my collaborators and graduate students.”