Newcombe Awarded Rumelhart Prize in Cognitive Science
Image above: APS William James Fellow Nora S. Newcombe, Editor of Psychological Science in the Public Interest, gives her acceptance speech for the APS Mentor Award at the 2023 APS Annual Convention in Washington, D.C.
APS William James Fellow Nora S. Newcombe, a distinguished researcher at Temple University and Editor of Psychological Science in the Public Interest, is the recipient of the 25th David E. Rumelhart Prize in Cognitive Science from the Cognitive Science Society.
Announced July 25 at the society’s annual conference in Rotterdam, the award is named after APS William James Fellow David Rumelhart, known for his many contributions to the formal analysis of human cognition. It is awarded annually to an individual or collaborative team making a significant contemporary contribution to the theoretical foundations of human cognition.
Newcombe, the Laura H. Carnell Professor of Psychology at Temple, has significantly advanced the study of spatial cognition, encompassing topics such as spatial memory, navigation, and the development of spatial skills in children. Newcombe’s interdisciplinary approach integrates insights from psychological science, neuroscience, and education.
“I see this award, taken in conjunction with other Rumelhart awards, as underlining the idea that a developmental perspective is basic to the wider field of cognitive science,” Newcombe said.
The Rumelhart Prize is funded by the Robert J. Glushko and Pamela Samuelson Fund. Glushko (University of California, Berkeley) received his PhD in psychology in 1979 under Rumelhart’s supervision at the University of California, San Diego. Rumelhart passed away in 2011.
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Newcombe said she was happy Glushko, in announcing the 2025 award at the society’s conference, mentioned her work to use data to improve STEM education as well as her interest in science policy.
The prize consists of a hand-crafted, custom bronze medal, a certificate, a citation of the awardee’s contribution, and a monetary award of $100,000. APS Past President and William James and James McKeen Cattell Fellow Alison Gopnik is the 2024 recipient. Previous awardees include APS Past President and William James Fellow Susan Goldin Meadow, and APS William James Fellows John Anderson (Carnegie Mellon University), Susan Carey (Harvard University), Fellows Micheline Chi (Arizona State University), Dedre Getner (Northwestern University), James McClelland and Roger Shepard of Stanford University, Linda Smith (Indiana University, Bloomington), and Richard Shiffrin (Indiana University).
To learn about the prize, visit https://cognitivesciencesociety.org/rumelhart-prize/.
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