b. 1951
Keith J. Holyoak is a cognitive psychologist and professor at UCLA whose research bridges cognitive science and philosophy through the study of analogical reasoning, causal cognition, and relational thought. He is best known for his computational and psychological models of how humans construct and evaluate analogies, drawing on classical sources from Aristotle through modern logic. His work with Paul Thagard on structural analogical mapping has significantly influenced both cognitive science and philosophy of mind.
Developed the multiconstraint theory of analogical reasoning with Paul Thagard
Co-authored 'Mental Leaps: Analogy in Creative Thought' (1995), a foundational text in analogy research
Created the ACME (Analogical Constraint Mapping Engine) computational model of analogy
Traced connections between classical rhetorical forms (paradeigma) and modern deductive analyses of analogical inference
Contributed to the integration of cognitive psychology and epistemology around relational reasoning