I am currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Princeton's University Center for Human Values. I'm primarily interested in belief, bounded rationality, and the interaction of cognition with computational and environmental constraints. My research aims to understand the mechanisms of belief formation and how beliefs are updated (or not) in response to evidence.

Email: joseph.sommer@princeton.edu

Research

Selected Publications:

BeliefSommer, J., Musolino, J., & Hemmer, P. (2023). Updating, Evidence Evaluation, and Operator Availability: A Theoretical Framework for Understanding Belief. Psychological Review.
https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000444Sommer, J., Musolino, J., & Hemmer, P. (2022). Toward a Cognitive Science of Belief. In J. Musolino, J. Sommer, & P. Hemmer (Eds). The Cognitive Science of Belief: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Cambridge University Press.

Sommer, J., Musolino, J., & Hemmer, P. (2022). A hobgoblin of large minds: Troubles
with consistency in belief. WIREs Cognitive Science, e1639.
https://doi.org/10.1002/wcs.1

Minimally Counterintuitive ConceptsSommer, J., Spencer, C., Musolino, J., & Hemmer, P. (2023). A new methodological tool
for research on supernatural concepts. Behavior Research Methods, 55(1), 220-235.Sommer, J., Musolino, J., & Hemmer, P. (2022). The Memorability of Supernatural
Concepts: Some Puzzles and New Theoretical Directions, Journal of Cognition and
Culture, 22(1-2), 90-135.