Colleen Seifert

My research in cognitive science takes a broad perspective on understanding human and artificial minds. How does content knowledge organization in memory (what we think) influence mental processes (how we think) to change outcomes in learning, problem solving, and creativity? Crossing traditional disciplinary boundaries, I offer novel contributions towards creating AI Experiences (AIX) centering the human in AI. My empirical findings on human cognitiion identify challenges in human cognition, including mental fixation during problem solving, convergent rather than divergent thinking processes in design and creativity, and the continued influence of (mis)information in memory during later reasoning. My research on HAI with Hari Subramonyam and others identifies how human thinking can be designed within artificial intelligence models to function as joint intelligence. Designs for AIX systems defined through cognitive processes offer improved ease of use and support communication of human intent, explainability, values, and desired outcomes