2026 North Carolina Conference on Cognition
The North Carolina Conference on Cognition fosters collaboration and cooperation among research groups throughout North Carolina and neighboring states working in cognitive psychology, cognitive science, cognitive neuroscience, cognitive development, and allied disciplines. The conference provides an ideal opportunity to learn about cutting-edge cognitive research, to share new ideas, and to promote and recruit students.
Registration is now closed.
We will not accept payments for entrance at the door.
- Location: Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, 100 Fuqua Drive, Durham, NC 27708.
- Talks & Data Blitzes: Geneen Auditorium
- Poster Sessions & Lunch: Kirby Winter Garden
- Parking available at the Science Drive Garage: https://maps.duke.edu/?focus=2238-SDGNEST
Check-in and breakfast will begin at 8:15 AM, with programming to begin at 9:00 AM and go until 5:30 PM
The conference schedule will be sent out by Friday, March 19.
If you have any questions, please email nccg@duke.edu.
Speaker(s)
Daniel Willingham
Professor of Psychology
University of Virginia
"Why Don't Teachers Know Psych 101?"
Psychology seems to offer a wealth of insights about human cognition, emotion, and motivation that are relevant to K-12 classrooms. Do teachers know these findings and do they implement them? Relevant data are scarce, but discouraging. In this talk I will offer an explanation for what has gone wrong, centering on how the role of "theory" differs in basic and applied science. I will argue that current teacher education practices not only leave educators ill-equipped to use psychological findings, but under the impression that these findings are unreliable. I will suggest changes to teacher preparation and licensure that might improve the use of psychology in K-12 education, and boost student achievement.
Daniel Willingham is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia, where he has taught since 1992. Until about 2000, his research focused solely on the brain basis of learning and memory. Today, all of his research concerns the application of cognitive psychology to K-16 education.
He is the author of several books, including the best-selling Why Don't Students Like School?, and most recently, Outsmart Your Brain. His writing on education has appeared in twenty-three languages.
In 2017 he was appointed by President Obama to serve as a Member of the National Board for Education Sciences.
