I am currently a Postdoctoral Associate at the Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science. My interests include cognitive modeling, 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@rutgers.edu

Research

Selected Publications:

BeliefSommer, 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.