Michael J. Spivey Ph.D.

About

Michael J. Spivey, Ph.D., is Professor of Cognitive Science at the University of California, Merced. He earned his B.A. in Psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and his Ph.D. in Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the University of Rochester. After 12 years as a psychology professor at Cornell University, Dr. Spivey moved to UC Merced to help build their Cognitive and Information Sciences Ph.D. Program. He has published over 100 journal articles and book chapters on the embodiment of cognition, and interactions between language, vision, memory, syntax, semantics, and motor movement. His research uses eye-tracking, computer-mouse tracking, and dynamical systems theory to explore how brain, body, and environment work together to make a mind what it is. In 2010, Spivey received the William Procter Prize for Scientific Achievement from the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society.

Books by Michael J. Spivey Ph.D.

Recent Posts

Murder, Guns, and Mental Illness: What the Statistics Show

Personal perspective: A focus on mental health, and recognizing each other's humanity, is not likely to solve the growing problem of mass shootings. Prevalence of guns is at the root of this problem.

Is Gerrymandering Unraveling America’s Connectedness?

What will it take to bring Republicans and Democrats back to the negotiation table?

Conversation Partners Literally Get on the Same Wavelength

Want to have better conversations with the people you care about? Make sure you can see each others' gestures and facial expressions.

Moral Choices Emerge in the Moment

New research suggests that your moral decisions emerge in the moment from interactions of brain, body, and environment.

How to Safely Watch the Super Bowl With Your Buddies

Are you tempted to go to an in-person Super Bowl party? Here's a safer solution during this pandemic.

Instead of In-Person Gatherings, Try a Videoconference Party

Don't visit friends and family in person for special occasions. Visit them via videoconference. Get that bonding feeling without spreading COVID-19.

OK, Millennials, Please Vote

Millennials like to bicker with boomers about political issues. But boomers have outvoted them in every election. Can they change that?

Flies in the Ointment for Presidential Cognitive Dissonance

Many of the Americans who support President Trump may be experiencing some cognitive dissonance—and there are multiple ways to respond to it.

Is Political Tribalism Spreading COVID-19 in California?

In California, counties that lean Republican may be experiencing wider spread of COVID-19 than is predicted by their population.

Not Wearing a Mask Is 'the New Smoking'

If you appreciate no longer having cigarette smoke in restaurants and shops, then you should appreciate how important it is to wear a face-covering during the coronavirus pandemic.