Introduction to Psychology
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Cognitive neuroscience

Cognitive neuroscience is described by the Cognitive Neuroscience Society as an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the nature of thought through mind and brain research.

Interdisciplinary fieldBrain and cognition

Type of entry
Interdisciplinary fieldAn area that draws on psychology together with other disciplines. Types are editorial labels, not an official classification.
Cluster
Brain and cognitionMind, brain, perception, language, emotion and animal behavior.
Sources opened
3 of 30 read as a full page, 3 as selected text or an abstract, 0 not verified.
Independent review
Admitted after correctionsClaude Code reviewer agent, separate from the writer, 2026-10-21. 7 claims checked against 3 sources opened by the reviewer.

What it studies

The Cognitive Neuroscience Society describes cognitive neuroscience as an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the nature of thought, and says it is committed to the development of mind and brain research. The Society's page adds that the term has been in use for almost three decades, on an undated page. The sources opened give no longer definition than this.

History and people

The Society's background page says the field received its name in the late 1970s in the back seat of a New York City taxi, on the way to a dinner at the Algonquin Hotel for scientists from Rockefeller and Cornell universities. The page names Michael Gazzaniga and George A. Miller in this account and says neither remembers, or will say, which of them first spoke the name. It describes Gazzaniga as one of the founders of the Society and of the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.

People and documented roles

  • Michael S. Gazzaniga. Neuroscientist described as one of the founders of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society and the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
    • Named in the account of how the field received its name in the late 1970s. [2]
    • Conducted research with split-brain patients on lateralization. [3]
    • Served as editor-in-chief of The Cognitive Neurosciences. [3]
  • George A. Miller. Cognitive psychologist named in the account of how the field received its name
    • Named alongside Gazzaniga in the account of how the field received its name in the late 1970s. [2]

The sources opened give no years for these contributions except the late 1970s naming, and they do not name other contributors. Women and scholars outside Europe and the United States are not documented in the sources opened. No milestone is listed because the only date given is the imprecise phrase late 1970s, which has no single year.

Dated milestones

No milestone with a supported date is recorded for this profile. Dates are left out rather than estimated.

Methods

The sources opened give little methodological detail. The Association for Psychological Science says Gazzaniga's research with split-brain patients examined whether cognitive functions are performed in one brain hemisphere or the other, and that it advanced understanding of the lateralization of cognitive function and of how the two hemispheres communicate.

Training and applications

APS says Gazzaniga served as editor-in-chief of The Cognitive Neurosciences, which it says is considered to be the sourcebook for that field. The sources opened do not document training routes, credentials or practice settings for cognitive neuroscience, so none are described here.

Boundaries and limits

The naming story is a recollection that its participants do not settle, and the sources opened give no founding year for the Society. They name two people in the naming story and one in the Society's founding, which does not amount to a complete list of contributors. This guide does not treat any one person as the field's originator.

Evidence behind the claims

  • The Society's background page says the field of cognitive neuroscience received its name in the late 1970s in the back seat of a New York City taxi, on the way to a dinner at the Algonquin Hotel for Rockefeller and Cornell scientists.

    History and peopleThe organization's own descriptionSource: [2]Where: Section on the origin of the term

  • The background page names Michael Gazzaniga and George A. Miller in the naming story and says neither man remembers or will say which of them first spoke the name.

    History and peopleThe organization's own descriptionSource: [2]Where: Section on the origin of the term

  • The background page describes Gazzaniga as one of the founders of the Society and of the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.

    History and peopleThe organization's own descriptionSources: [2] [3]Where: Background page, passage on Gazzaniga; APS page, passage on his institutions

  • The Society's page calls cognitive neuroscience an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the nature of thought and says the term has been in use for almost three decades.

    What it studiesThe organization's own descriptionSource: [1]Where: Home page text on the term cognitive neuroscience

  • The Society says it is committed to the development of mind and brain research.

    What it studiesThe organization's own descriptionSource: [1]Where: Home page mission statement

  • APS says Gazzaniga's research with split-brain patients examined whether cognitive functions are performed in one brain hemisphere or the other, and that it advanced understanding of the lateralization of cognitive function and of how the two hemispheres communicate.

    MethodsDocumented in the sourceSource: [3]Where: Paragraph on Gazzaniga's research

  • APS says Gazzaniga served as editor-in-chief of The Cognitive Neurosciences, which it says is considered to be the sourcebook for that field.

    Training and applicationsDocumented in the sourceSource: [3]Where: Paragraph on Gazzaniga's editorial roles

Where it appears

University examples

Professional contexts

Examples show documented structures. They are not a ranking, a census, or a statement about admission or licensing.

In the Psy101 course

This is course relevance only. It is not evidence for the historical or practice claims on this page.See the full course map.

Sources and inspection

3 of 3 sources were opened and read at the level shown. A source marked as not verified supports no claim on this page by itself.

  1. [1]
    Cognitive Neuroscience SocietyCognitive Neuroscience Society, undated. Professional association. Supports the definition of the area.Selected text readRead the home page mission wording and the sentences on the term; the 'almost three decades' sentence is on an undated page and no founding year is given.
  2. [2]
    About CNS - Cognitive Neuroscience SocietyCognitive Neuroscience Society, undated. Professional association. Supports the history.Selected text readRead the account of the origin of the name; the page gives no founding date for the Society.
  3. [3]
    Birth of Cognitive NeuroscienceAssociation for Psychological Science, undated. Professional association. Supports the history.Selected text readRead the passages on Michael Gazzaniga's roles and research; the visible page shows no date, and 2011 and 2013 dates appear only in embedded metadata. The page uses the word fathers, which this guide does not adopt.

Independent source review: Claude Code reviewer agent, separate from the writer, 2026-10-21. Verdict: Admitted after corrections. Of 7 claims checked, 5 were supported as written, 2 were reworded and 0 were removed.