CogSci Professional Organizations

Professional organizations deepen understanding for academics and businesspeople to apply cognitive science in real life.  I canvassed the existing organizations and evaluated which ones focused on my interests – I chose to join the Association for Psychological Science and the Cognitive Neuroscience Society.  My early interactions with the groups have been very positive.  Below are some of the organizations that I identified.

1.      Cognitive Science Society.  The Cognitive Science Society brings together researchers from around the world who hold a common goal: understanding the nature of the human mind. 

2.      Cognitive Neuroscience Society.  The Cognitive Neuroscience Society is committed to the development of mind and brain research aimed at investigating the psychological, computational, and neuroscientific bases of cognition.

3.      British Psychological Society.  Championing psychology since 1901, the BPS represents and promotes psychology, psychologists and the wider psychological professions. They claim a diverse membership that shares a passion for psychology and the impact it has on individuals and society.

4.      American Psychological Association, Division 3. APA is one of the largest scientific and professional organizations representing psychology in the U.S. Although it covers all areas of psychology, its Division 3 focuses on Experimental Psychology which often delves into cognitive topics.

5.      Association for Psychological Science.  While APS focuses on promoting the understanding of psychological science, the study often includes research from cognitive psychology.

6.      Society for Neuroscience. This organization focuses on the study of the brain and nervous system, including many aspects relevant to cognitive science.

7.      Linguistic Society of America. As the name suggests, LSA is dedicated to the advancement of the scientific study of language, which is a key component of cognitive science.

8.      Association for Computational Linguistics: This organization is dedicated to computational aspects of human language capability and the computational problems associated with generating and processing natural language.

9.      Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.  HFES focuses on the application of cognitive science and psychology to the design of systems and devices for human use.

10.  International Neural Network Society.  The INNS focuses on neural networks and related fields, which touch on cognition from a computational and neurological standpoint.

11.  Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence.  Given that artificial intelligence and cognitive science have overlapping interests, especially in areas like machine learning, cognitive robotics, and knowledge representation, AAAI is a relevant organization for those in cognitive science who lean towards the computational aspects.