Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
2025-2026 Membership is now Open for Registration.
Recent Developments in Cognitive Science
Speaker
Professor Philip Guo, Professor Anne Beatty-Martinez, Professor Gedeon Deák, Professor Sean Trott, Professor Lara Rangel,
Coordinator
Steve Clarey
Recent Developments in Cognitive Science: From Artificial Intelligence Chatbots to Understanding Bilingualism to the Neuroscience of Baby Brains.
UC San Diego established the country’s first Cognitive Science department and remains a leader in the interdisciplinary study of the mind and brain, linking research in neuroscience, psychology, computer science, philosophy and linguistics. This series features leading UC San Diego professors discussing recent advances in this exciting and important field.
October 1: Hand-Crafting AI Chatbots for Personalized Mentoring, Professor Philip Guo
In the past few years, hundreds of millions of people have turned to AI chatbots—computer programs that simulate human conversation—like ChatGPT for advice on just about everything. But these generic chatbots simply give generic advice. So what’s the fix? This lecture will discuss building AI chatbots that target specific user groups which have been deployed across diverse settings. After hearing this lecture, you’ll be able to build your own custom chatbots!
October 15: Understanding Bilingualism Professor Anne Beatty-Martinez
In recent years, research on bilingualism has revealed new findings about how people grow up and live with two or more languages in different contexts. Contrary to the view that bilinguals are two monolinguals in one person, emerging evidence shows that bilinguals differ by virtue of where they live and how they use their languages. In this talk, we’ll learn about recent discoveries concerning bilingualism and their influences on the brain, mind and behavior.
October 29: Baby Brains: How Are They Formed? How Do They Make Us Who We Are? Professor Gedeon Deák
The last few decades have seen great progress in understanding how brains develop into wellorganized nervous systems. Simultaneously, behavioral developmental researchers are debating the origins of knowledge. This lecture will attempt to bridge these separate fields of developmental neurobiology and cognitive development with a tour of some astounding processes of early brain development and what they tell us about how infants learn, think and communicate.
November 12: Using Cognitive Science to Understand Large Language Models Professor Sean Trott
Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT are already transforming certain aspects of daily life and their impact is expected to grow significantly in the years ahead. Yet even though humans designed and built these systems, they remain largely “black boxes”, raising concerns about their rapidly expanding role in society. This lecture will discuss techniques and theories from cognitive science, originally developed to understand the human mind, to peer inside the “black box” of LLMs with the goal of making these tools safer, less opaque and more reliable.
November 26: Neurons Feel the Beat! Professor Lara Rangel
Our experiences are represented with high fidelity by the exquisite timing of neural activity in our brain. This lecture will discuss research showing that successful computation within a neuronal network depends on the recruitment of neurons into specific “dances”, or rhythmic circuits. We find that the beat of sensory stimuli or inputs critically determines which rhythmic circuits are selected, priming the computational abilities of the network. Taken together, timing is a critical organizing principle of the brain..
UC San Diego established the country’s first Cognitive Science department and remains a leader in the interdisciplinary study of the mind and brain, linking research in neuroscience, psychology, computer science, philosophy and linguistics. This series features leading UC San Diego professors discussing recent advances in this exciting and important field.
October 1: Hand-Crafting AI Chatbots for Personalized Mentoring, Professor Philip Guo
In the past few years, hundreds of millions of people have turned to AI chatbots—computer programs that simulate human conversation—like ChatGPT for advice on just about everything. But these generic chatbots simply give generic advice. So what’s the fix? This lecture will discuss building AI chatbots that target specific user groups which have been deployed across diverse settings. After hearing this lecture, you’ll be able to build your own custom chatbots!
October 15: Understanding Bilingualism Professor Anne Beatty-Martinez
In recent years, research on bilingualism has revealed new findings about how people grow up and live with two or more languages in different contexts. Contrary to the view that bilinguals are two monolinguals in one person, emerging evidence shows that bilinguals differ by virtue of where they live and how they use their languages. In this talk, we’ll learn about recent discoveries concerning bilingualism and their influences on the brain, mind and behavior.
October 29: Baby Brains: How Are They Formed? How Do They Make Us Who We Are? Professor Gedeon Deák
The last few decades have seen great progress in understanding how brains develop into wellorganized nervous systems. Simultaneously, behavioral developmental researchers are debating the origins of knowledge. This lecture will attempt to bridge these separate fields of developmental neurobiology and cognitive development with a tour of some astounding processes of early brain development and what they tell us about how infants learn, think and communicate.
November 12: Using Cognitive Science to Understand Large Language Models Professor Sean Trott
Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT are already transforming certain aspects of daily life and their impact is expected to grow significantly in the years ahead. Yet even though humans designed and built these systems, they remain largely “black boxes”, raising concerns about their rapidly expanding role in society. This lecture will discuss techniques and theories from cognitive science, originally developed to understand the human mind, to peer inside the “black box” of LLMs with the goal of making these tools safer, less opaque and more reliable.
November 26: Neurons Feel the Beat! Professor Lara Rangel
Our experiences are represented with high fidelity by the exquisite timing of neural activity in our brain. This lecture will discuss research showing that successful computation within a neuronal network depends on the recruitment of neurons into specific “dances”, or rhythmic circuits. We find that the beat of sensory stimuli or inputs critically determines which rhythmic circuits are selected, priming the computational abilities of the network. Taken together, timing is a critical organizing principle of the brain..
Speaker Bio
Presenter: Philip Guo is a professor in cognitive science and computer science & engineering at UC San Diego. His research spans humancomputer interaction, data science, programming tools and online learning. He builds tools to help people better understand code and data. He received his PhD from Stanford University.
Presenter: Anne Beatty-Martinez is a professor of cognitive science and director of the Center for Research on Language at UC San Diego. She studies variability in language experience to understand how the mind and brain adapt to the demands of more than one language. She received her doctorate in Spanish and language science from Penn State.
Presenter: Gedeon Deák is a professor of cognitive science at UC San Diego studying cognitive development in children, embodied learning, infant-parent interaction and cognitive flexibility. He received his PhD from the University of Minnesota.
Presenter: Sean Trott is an assistant professor of cognitive science at UC San Diego. His research focuses on how humans understand and use language and on using tools from cognitive science to better understand “black box” AI systems. He received his PhD at UC San Diego
Presenter: Lara Rangel is a professor of cognitive science at UC San Diego. She is a systems neuroscientist who tests whether rhythmic circuit activity is important for coordinating information processing in organized networks of neurons in the brain. She received her PhD from UC San Diego.
Presenter: Anne Beatty-Martinez is a professor of cognitive science and director of the Center for Research on Language at UC San Diego. She studies variability in language experience to understand how the mind and brain adapt to the demands of more than one language. She received her doctorate in Spanish and language science from Penn State.
Presenter: Gedeon Deák is a professor of cognitive science at UC San Diego studying cognitive development in children, embodied learning, infant-parent interaction and cognitive flexibility. He received his PhD from the University of Minnesota.
Presenter: Sean Trott is an assistant professor of cognitive science at UC San Diego. His research focuses on how humans understand and use language and on using tools from cognitive science to better understand “black box” AI systems. He received his PhD at UC San Diego
Presenter: Lara Rangel is a professor of cognitive science at UC San Diego. She is a systems neuroscientist who tests whether rhythmic circuit activity is important for coordinating information processing in organized networks of neurons in the brain. She received her PhD from UC San Diego.
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