Robert Stuart Siegler

Robert Stuart Siegler is the Jacob H. Schiff Foundations Professor of Psychology and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, affiliated with the Department of Human Development and the Cognitive Science in Education program. His research focuses on how children develop mathematical knowledge, particularly numerical understanding, fraction arithmetic, and the application of cognitive development theories to education.

• PhD in Clinical Psychology from Stony Brook University
• Research emphasizes cognitive development, mathematics learning, and educational interventions
• Director of the Siegler Center for Innovative Learning at Beijing Normal University (2012)

Dr. Siegler’s work combines information processing and evolutionary theories to study strategy discovery and choice in mathematics learning. He has pioneered applications of numerical board games to improve mathematical understanding in low-income children and developed computational models of fraction arithmetic.

His recent publications address rational number notation, textbook design, and cognitive biases in mathematical learning. Articles highlight his collaborations with researchers like David W. Braithwaite and J. McMullen, focusing on whole number bias, fraction magnitude knowledge, and decimal arithmetic.

Awards include the 2022 G. Stanley Hall Award from the American Psychological Association, 2015 election to the Society of Experimental Psychologists, and the 2010 National Academy of Education induction. He served on the U.S. National Mathematics Advisory Panel (2006-2008) and contributed to federal educational practice guides.

Dr. Siegler leads the Siegler Lab at Teachers College, which investigates mechanisms of mathematical knowledge acquisition. His research has been published in journals such as Journal of Educational Psychology, Developmental Science, and Psychological Review.