Ten Classics from Cognitive Science

The editorial board of Cognitive Science has identified several classic articles that appeared in our journal over the last couple of decades. With the permission of the Cognitive Science Society, the full text for these articles is available here. Members of our editorial board have also provided descriptions for why these articles were selected as classics. Although many other articles could have been selected and may be added in future lists, these articles were chosen because of their impact, innovation, and importance in furthering theoretical development in the field of cognitive science.

1. Johnson-Laird, P. N. (1980). Mental models in cognitive science. Cognitive Science, 4, 71-115.
Abstract | Printable PDF

2. Chi, M. T. H., Feltovich, P., & Glaser, R. (1981). Categorization and representation of physics problems by experts and novices. Cognitive Science, 5, 121-152.
Abstract | Printable PDF

3. Feldman, J. A., & Ballard, D. H. (1982). Connectionist models and their properties. Cognitive Science, 6, 205-254.
Abstract | Printable PDF

4. Gentner, D. (1983). Structure-mapping: A theoretical framework for analogy. Cognitive Science, 7, 155-170.
Abstract | Printable PDF

5. Rumelhart, D. E., & Zipser, D. (1985). Feature discovery by competitive learning. Cognitive Science, 9, 75-112.
Abstract | Printable PDF

6. Larkin, J. H., & Simon, H. A. (1987). Why a diagram is (sometimes) worth 10,000 word. Cognitive Science, 11, 65-99.
Abstract | Printable PDF

7. Elman, J. L. (1990). Finding structure in time. Cognitive Science, 14, 179-211.
Abstract | Printable PDF

8. Spelke, E. S. (1990). Principles of object perception. Cognitive Science, 14, 29-56.
Abstract | Printable PDF

9. Jacobs, R. A., Jordan, M. I., & Barto, A. G. (1991). Task decomposition through competition in a modular connectionist architecture - the what and where vision tasks. Cognitive Science, 15, 219-250.
Abstract | Printable PDF

10. Hutchins E. (1995). How A Cockpit Remembers its Speeds. Cognitive Science, 19, 265-288.
Abstract | Printable PDF