Andrew Shtulman

Andrew Shtulman is a Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Science at Occidental College, where he chairs the Department of Psychology and directs the Thinking Lab. With a Harvard Ph.D. (2006) and Princeton B.A. (2001), his research bridges cognitive development, science education, and philosophy of science.

• Education: B.A. Princeton (2001), Ph.D. Harvard (2006)
• Awards: NSF CAREER Award (2010-2015), James S. McDonnell Foundation Grant (2015-2021), Cognitive Development Society Book Award (2019)

His work investigates how intuitive theories of the world conflict with scientific concepts, focusing on cognitive reflection and conceptual change in children. Recent studies examine online misinformation detection, evolution acceptance, and modal reasoning across cultures. He co-edited Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Representational Pluralism (2022) and authored Scienceblind (2017) and Learning to Imagine (2023).

Research Trends from 2006-2025 reveal consistent focus on evolutionary misconceptions, religion-science intersections, magical reasoning, and covariation analysis. His 2024-2025 studies on misinformation detection and possibility training demonstrate applications to modern educational challenges.

• Scientific Awards:
  • NSF CAREER: Investigating Causes/Consequences of Conceptual Change (2010-2015)
  • McDonnell Foundation: Understanding Human Cognition (2015-2021)
  • Cognitive Development Society Book Award (2019)
  • Science Magazine Editors' Choice (2012)
  • Multiple ScienceDirect Hottest Articles

Advising & Grants: Served on 11 dissertation committees internationally while leading NSF-sponsored projects on evolution education (2008-2010) and science learning (2015-2021). His Thinking Lab at Occidental explores cognitive conflict between scientific and intuitive reasoning.

Labs & Teams: Directs the Thinking Lab at Occidental College, collaborating with institutions like MIT (postdoc 2006-2007) and international scholars. Organized NSF panels and served on 14 journal editorial/review boards including Cognition (2025-present) and Developmental Psychology (2016-2024).