Barbara Koslowski
Prof Assoc
2007
HDWeb Bio Page
Current Activities
Current Research Activities
My general research interest is in thinking and reasoning. However, the question, "How do people think?" is too general to be useful. One way of narrowing down the question is to ask about the extent to which people's thinking approximates the principles of scientific inquiry principles that are typically thought to be sound because, more often than not, they "work" diseases are cured, volcanic eruptions are predicted, etc. Furthermore, using the principles of scientific reasoning as a model of good thinking has the added advantage that it enables us to learn about the cognitive bases of scientific reasoning itself; what sorts of skills and limitations to non-scientists (including children) possess that enable (at least some of) them eventually to become scientists.
One of the hallmarks of scientific reasoning is that it is aimed, not merely at prediction, but also at explanation; it aims at understanding the mechanism by which events obtain. However, in principle, it is possible to suggest an explanation for almost anything; the real question is how we distinguish explanations that are plausible from those that are dubious, and this is another focus of my research.
Furthermore, in scientific inquiry, explanations are embedded in and judged with respect to a broad network of related information. Evolutionary theory, for example, is seen as convincing, in part, because it is congruent with our knowledge of population genetics, plate tectonics, animal breeding, etc. In contrast, psychological research on reasoning is often "decontextualized", asking people to reason about events in the absence of a network of related, background information. We have been examining ways in which particular types of background information affect how we evaluate explanations.
Finally, if explanations are embedded in and judged with respect to a network of related information, then this casts a somewhat different light on traditional questions of confirmation bias and of how people respond to disconfirming evidence. These questions are an additional focus of my research.
Biography
Biographical Statement
I was trained as a developmental psychologist and, for the past several years, my main research focus has been on the development of scientific reasoning. I have an ancillary interest in children's conceptions of biology and in the way people come to integrate the conceptual basis of scientific reasoning with various techniques that are peculiar to a particular science. I am also engaged in research relevant to confirmation bias.
Education
Ed.D. 1974 - Harvard University
Human Development
B.A. 1967 - Wayne State University
Psychology
Administrative Responsibilities
Director of Graduate Studies (fall)
Member, HD Executive Committee
Courses, Websites, Pubs
Courses Taught
HD620 (spring)
HD401 (spring)
HD238 (fall)
HD620 (fall)
HD401
Publications
Koslowski, B. & Thompson, S. (2002). Theorizing is important, and collateral information constrains how well it is done. In P. Carruthers, S. Stich, & M. Siegal (Eds.) The Cognitive Bases of Science: An Interdisciplinary Approach. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Koslowski, B. & Masnick, A. (2002). Causal Reasoning. In U. Goswami (Ed.), Handbook of Child Cognitive Development. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.
Masnick, A. & Koslowski, B. (2001). Attitude change and reasoning. Proceedings of the Cognitive Science Society.
Koslowski, B., Masnick, A., Thompson, S., & Barnett, S. (1997). What makes theories or explanations convincing? Proceedings of the biennial meetings of the Society for Research in Child Development.
Koslowski, B. (1996). Theory and Evidence: The Development of Scientific Reasoning. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press
Koslowski, B. & Maqueda, M. (1993). What is confirmation bias and when do people have it? Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 39(1), 104-130. Invitational issue entitled The development of rationality and critical thinking.