European Society for Cognitive Psychology

European Society for Cognitive Psychology
Name	European Society for Cognitive Psychology
Formation	1990
Type	Learned society
Headquarters	Unknown
Region served	Europe
Language	English
Leader title	President

European Society for Cognitive Psychology is a scholarly learned society that supports research on human cognition across Europe and internationally. It connects researchers, educators, and institutions in cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and related fields through meetings, publications, and awards. The society fosters collaboration among scholars from universities, research institutes, and professional organizations throughout Europe and beyond.

History

The society was founded in 1990 following initiatives by researchers associated with institutions such as Max Planck Society, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of Amsterdam, and Universiteit Leiden; by the early 1990s it engaged colleagues from University of Edinburgh, University College London, Freie Universität Berlin, and Università di Padova. Early milestones included interactions with researchers affiliated with Harvard University, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, and Yale University, reflecting transatlantic links. Founding figures and early presidents had prior affiliations with organizations like Royal Society, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, European Research Council, and Wellcome Trust, and the society’s formation paralleled events such as meetings at Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, seminars at École Normale Supérieure, and workshops hosted by Karolinska Institutet. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s it expanded membership across institutions such as University of Geneva, University of Zurich, University of Bologna, Sapienza University of Rome, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, University of Barcelona, King's College London, Trinity College Dublin, and Technische Universität München.

Mission and Activities

The society’s mission emphasizes support for empirical research, theoretical synthesis, and methodological training, aligning with stakeholders including European Commission, Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, European Science Foundation, National Science Foundation, and national academies like Académie des sciences and Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Activities have connected members at centers such as Cognitive Neuroscience Society, Society for Neuroscience, Association for Psychological Science, American Psychological Association, and the British Psychological Society. The society promotes exchange among labs at University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of York, University of Padua, University of Milan, KU Leuven, Catholic University of Leuven, Ghent University, and Université Paris Descartes. It supports training via summer schools, visiting scholar programs, and student awards linked to institutions like Swiss National Science Foundation, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, and Donders Institute.

Conferences and Workshops

Annual conferences organized by the society rotate among host cities and institutions such as Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, London, Madrid, Rome, Prague, Warsaw, Vienna, and Stockholm, often held in venues including Albert Hall, Royal Society, Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris, Kulturforum, Palazzo dei Congressi, and university campuses like University of Vienna and Charles University. These meetings attract keynote speakers affiliated with Princeton University, Columbia University, University of Chicago, University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, New York University, and Brown University. The program committees have included members from Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Institut Pasteur, Imperial College London, University of Glasgow, and École Polytechnique. Workshops often focus on methods drawn from labs at MIT, Caltech, Johns Hopkins University, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Karolinska Institutet, and Leiden University Medical Center and collaborate with societies such as Cognitive Science Society and International Neuropsychological Society.

Publications and Awards

The society supports dissemination via affiliated journals and special issues with publishers and journals such as Journal of Experimental Psychology, Cognition, Cognitive Psychology (journal), Psychological Review, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, Nature Neuroscience, Nature Human Behaviour, Scientific Reports, and PNAS. It recognizes achievement through awards named in the tradition of honors associated with Fyodor Dostoevsky Prize-style eponyms and comparable accolades such as those sponsored by Royal Society, European Research Council Starting Grants, Marie Curie Fellowships, Knights of the Legion of Honour-style national awards, and prizes presented at conferences that mirror awards from Association for Psychological Science and British Academy. Recipients typically include researchers from University of Toronto, McGill University, University of British Columbia, Australian National University, University of Melbourne, and leading European centers like University of Amsterdam and University College London.

Governance and Membership

The society is governed by an elected board with roles analogous to positions in Royal Society, European Academy of Sciences, Academia Europaea, and national academies including Austrian Academy of Sciences and Polish Academy of Sciences. Officers often hold faculty positions at institutions such as University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Karolinska Institutet, King's College London, University of Groningen, Sorbonne University, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, and Heidelberg University. Membership categories parallel those of professional bodies like British Psychological Society and American Psychological Association, including student, regular, senior, and emeritus levels, and many members receive funding from sources such as European Research Council Consolidator Grants, Wellcome Trust Investigator Awards, and national councils like Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and CNRS.

Collaborations and Outreach

Collaborative initiatives involve partnerships with institutions and programs including European Commission Horizon, Human Brain Project, Human Frontier Science Program, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, ERC, Wellcome Trust, Gatsby Charitable Foundation, Max Planck Society, and universities such as University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, École Normale Supérieure, University of Amsterdam, and University of Oxford. Outreach efforts engage public venues and events similar to Festival of Science, European Researchers' Night, Science Museum, Royal Institution lectures, and media collaborations with outlets like BBC, Le Monde, Die Zeit, El País, and The Guardian. The society also liaises with clinical and applied centers such as National Health Service, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, and research networks exemplified by Copenhagen Center for Social Data Science.

Category:Scientific societies