Judy Fan: Reverse Engineering the Human Cognitive Toolkit
Academic cognitive science podcast with peripheral AI relevance - low priority for APS readers.
Key points
- A podcast interview with a Stanford cognitive scientist on human sensemaking and cognitive tools.
- AI is one methodological lens used in the lab's research, not the primary subject of discussion.
- Limited direct relevance to APS AI governance or policy work - included for completeness.
Summary
This podcast episode features Judy Fan, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Stanford and director of the Cognitive Tools Lab, discussing how humans use physical representations such as sketches and prototypes to learn, communicate, and solve problems. Her lab uses cognitive science, computational neuroscience, and AI as converging methodological tools to study human cognition. AI is a research instrument rather than the subject of discussion, and the conversation is primarily philosophical and scientific in nature.
"Judy Fan: Reverse Engineering the Human Cognitive Toolkit" Source: The Gradient – Substack Published: 22 August 2024 URL: https://thegradientpub.substack.com/p/judy-fan-reverse-engineering-the-human-cognitive-toolkit This podcast episode features Judy Fan, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Stanford and director of the Cognitive Tools Lab, discussing how humans use physical representations such as sketches and prototypes to learn, communicate, and solve problems. Her lab uses cognitive science, computational neuroscience, and AI as converging methodological tools to study human cognition. AI is a research instrument rather than the subject of discussion, and the conversation is primarily philosophical and scientific in nature. Retrieved from SIMS, 18 May 2026.