Zenon Pylyshyn
Encyclopedia
Zenon Pylyshyn is a Canadian cognitive scientist and philosopher.
He holds degrees in Engineering
-Physics
(B.Eng. 1959) from McGill University
and in Control Systems (M.Sc. 1960) and Experimental Psychology
(Ph.D. 1963), both from the University of Saskatchewan
. His dissertation was on the application of information theory
to studies of human short-term memory
. He was a Canada Council
Senior fellow from 1963–1964.
and Computer Science
at the University of Western Ontario
in London
from 1964 until 1994, where he also held honorary positions in Philosophy and Electrical Engineering
and was Director of the UWO Center for Cognitive Science. In 1994 he accepted positions as the Board of Governors Professor of Cognitive Science and as the Director of the new Rutgers University
Center for Cognitive Science in New Brunswick, NJ.
awarded him the Donald O. Hebb Award for "distinguished contributions to psychology as a science." He holds fellowships in the American Association for Artificial Intelligence
, the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences
at Stanford University
, the MIT Center for Cognitive Science, the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
, the Canadian Psychological Association
, and was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
in 1998. He was invited to give the Jean Nicod lectures
in Paris
in 2004. He has presided over both the Society for Philosophy and Psychology
, and the Cognitive Science Society
. From 1985–1994 he directed the Program in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research.
He holds degrees in Engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
-Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
(B.Eng. 1959) from McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
and in Control Systems (M.Sc. 1960) and Experimental Psychology
Experimental psychology
Experimental psychology is a methodological approach, rather than a subject, and encompasses varied fields within psychology. Experimental psychologists have traditionally conducted research, published articles, and taught classes on neuroscience, developmental psychology, sensation, perception,...
(Ph.D. 1963), both from the University of Saskatchewan
University of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...
. His dissertation was on the application of information theory
Information theory
Information theory is a branch of applied mathematics and electrical engineering involving the quantification of information. Information theory was developed by Claude E. Shannon to find fundamental limits on signal processing operations such as compressing data and on reliably storing and...
to studies of human short-term memory
Short-term memory
Short-term memory is the capacity for holding a small amount of information in mind in an active, readily available state for a short period of time. The duration of short-term memory is believed to be in the order of seconds. A commonly cited capacity is 7 ± 2 elements...
. He was a Canada Council
Canada Council
The Canada Council for the Arts, commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown Corporation established in 1957 to act as an arts council of the government of Canada, created to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts. It funds Canadian artists and...
Senior fellow from 1963–1964.
Academic career
Pylyshyn was Professor of PsychologyPsychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
and Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
at the University of Western Ontario
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
in London
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
from 1964 until 1994, where he also held honorary positions in Philosophy and Electrical Engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
and was Director of the UWO Center for Cognitive Science. In 1994 he accepted positions as the Board of Governors Professor of Cognitive Science and as the Director of the new Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
Center for Cognitive Science in New Brunswick, NJ.
Current Research
Pylyshyn's most recent research involves the theoretical analysis of the nature of the human cognitive systems behind perception, imagination, and reasoning. He has also continued to develop his Visual Indexing Theory (sometimes called the FINST theory) which hypothesizes a preconceptual mechanism responsible for individuating, tracking, and directly (or demonstratively) referring to the visual properties encoded by cognitive processes.Awards and honors
In 1990, the Canadian Psychological AssociationCanadian Psychological Association
The Canadian Psychological Association is the primary organization representing psychologists throughout Canada. It was organized in 1939 and incorporated under the Canada Corporations Act, Part II, in May 1950.Its objectives are:...
awarded him the Donald O. Hebb Award for "distinguished contributions to psychology as a science." He holds fellowships in the American Association for Artificial Intelligence
American Association for Artificial Intelligence
The Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence or AAAI is an international, nonprofit, scientific society devoted to advancing the scientific understanding of the mechanisms underlying thought and intelligent behavior and their embodiment in machines...
, the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences
Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences
The Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences is an American interdisciplinary research body in Stanford, California focusing on the social sciences and humanities . Fellows are elected in a closed process, to spend a period of residence at the Center, released from other duties...
at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, the MIT Center for Cognitive Science, the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research enables Canadian researchers to work on international research teams that are custom built to transform their fields of study...
, the Canadian Psychological Association
Canadian Psychological Association
The Canadian Psychological Association is the primary organization representing psychologists throughout Canada. It was organized in 1939 and incorporated under the Canada Corporations Act, Part II, in May 1950.Its objectives are:...
, and was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
Royal Society of Canada
The Royal Society of Canada , may also operate under the more descriptive name RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada , is the oldest association of scientists and scholars in Canada...
in 1998. He was invited to give the Jean Nicod lectures
Jean Nicod Prize
The Jean Nicod Prize is awarded annually in Paris to a leading philosopher of mind or philosophically-oriented cognitive scientist. The lectures are organized by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique as part of its effort to promote interdisciplinary research in cognitive science in...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 2004. He has presided over both the Society for Philosophy and Psychology
Society for Philosophy and Psychology
The Society for Philosophy and Psychology is a professional organization in North America that promotes discussion and research at the intersection of philosophy, psychology and cognitive science...
, and the Cognitive Science Society
Cognitive Science Society
The Cognitive Science Society is a professional society for the interdisciplinary field of cognitive science. It brings together researchers from many fields who hold the common goal of understanding the nature of the human mind...
. From 1985–1994 he directed the Program in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research.
Selected publications
- "What the Mind's Eye Tells the Mind's Brain", Psychological Bulletin, 1973
- Computation and Cognition: Toward a Foundation for Cognitive Science (MIT Press, 1984)
- Meaning and Cognitive Structure: Issues in the Computational Theory of Mind (1986)
- The Robot's Dilemma: The Frame Problem in Artificial Intelligence (1987)
- Perspectives on the Computer Revolution (1988);
- Computational Processes in Human Vision: An Interdisciplinary Perspective (1988)
- The Robot's Dilemma Revisited (1996).
- Seeing and Visualizing: It's Not What You Think (MIT Press, 2004) [Winner of the Association of American Publishers Professional/Scholarly Publishing Division Annual Awards competition]
Doctoral and Post-Doctoral Students Who Studied with Pylyshyn
- Jacquie Burkell, Associate Professor, Faculty of Information and Media Studies, University of Western Ontario
- Michael Dawson, Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Alberta
- Roy Eagleson, Associate Professor, Faculty of Engineering, University of Western Ontario
- Brian Fisher, Associate Professor, School of Interactive Arts and Technology, Simon Fraser University
- Brian Scholl, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Yale University
- Christopher Sears, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Calgary
- Lana Trick, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Guelph
- Liam Bannon, Adjunct Professor, Computer Science and Information Systems Department, University of Limerick, Ireland