Who are considered the founders of cognitive science?

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The modern origins of cognitive science emerged in the mid-1950s when a group of interdisciplinary thinkers began applying computational theories to the study of human thought. Six individuals are recognized as the founders of this field:

  • Herbert Simon1
  • Allen Newell1
  • Marvin Minsky1
  • John McCarthy1
  • George Miller1
  • Noam Chomsky1

These figures were instrumental in moving beyond the limitations of behaviourism, which had previously dominated psychology by rejecting the study of internal mental processes. Simon, Newell, Minsky, and McCarthy pioneered artificial intelligence, aiming to build systems capable of performing tasks associated with human intelligence. Simultaneously, Miller and Chomsky developed computational alternatives to behaviorist theories within the fields of psychology and linguistics, respectively. Their collective work established the foundation for the interdisciplinary study of how minds represent and process information.12