Kevin J. Holmes

Kevin J. Holmes is Associate Professor of Psychology and Chair of the Psychology Department at Reed College. A cognitive scientist studying knowledge structures, his research examines how language shapes thought and how people reason about complex real-world issues.

His work integrates cognitive psychology and linguistics to investigate categorization, framing effects, and spatial cognition. Holmes employs experimental methods to develop theory-driven insights about mind and language, often collaborating with undergraduate researchers.

He teaches core courses in cognitive psychology (PSY 366), statistical analysis (PSY 348), and specialized seminars on language-thought relationships (PSY 342). Holmes directs the Thought Lab, examining pragmatic inference in linguistic framing.

Honors include the James McKeen Cattell Sabbatical Fellowship and election as Fellow of the Psychonomic Society. Education:

• Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from Emory University
• Postdoctoral Fellowship in Cognitive Science at UC Berkeley
• M.A. in Psychology from Stanford University
• B.A. in Human Biology from Stanford University