Keith Holyoak

Keith James Holyoak
Keith Holyoak
Born (1950-01-16) January 16, 1950 (age 74)
CitizenshipCanadian–American
Alma materUniversity of British Columbia (BA)
Stanford University (PhD)
Scientific career
FieldsCognitive science
Doctoral advisorGordon H. Bower

Keith James Holyoak (born January 16, 1950) is a Canadian–American researcher in cognitive psychology and cognitive science, working on human thinking and reasoning. Holyoak's work focuses on the role of analogy in thinking.[1] His work showed how analogy can be used to enhance learning of new abstract concepts by both children and adults,[2] as well as how reasoning breaks down in cases of brain damage.[3]

Holyoak is also a poet. He has published four collections of his own poems, My Minotaur, Foreigner, The Gospel According to Judas, and Oracle Bones, as well as a collection of translations of classical Chinese poetry by Li Bai and Du Fu, Facing the Moon.

  1. ^ Gick, M. L., & Holyoak, K. J. (1980). "Analogical Problem Solving." Cognitive Psychology 12: 306-355.
  2. ^ Richland, L. E., Zur, O., & Holyoak, K. J. (2007). "Cognitive Supports for Analogy in the Mathematics Classroom." Science 316: 1128-1129.
  3. ^ Waltz, J. A., et al. (1999). "A System for Relational Reasoning in Human Prefrontal Cortex." Psychological Science 10: 119-125.