World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!

D-Index & Metrics

Psychology

D-Index
99
Citations
55230
World Ranking
639
National Ranking
406

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2012 - Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
  • 1999 - Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA)

Overview

Nelson Cowan is affiliated with the University of Missouri in the United States and specializes in neuroscience and psychology. Their research spans multiple subfields, including cognitive neuroscience, developmental and educational psychology, experimental and cognitive psychology, artificial intelligence, and statistics and probability.

The main topics addressed in their work include:

  • Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
  • Memory Processes and Influences
  • Reading and Literacy Development
  • Child and Animal Learning Development
  • Cognitive Abilities and Testing
  • Memory and Neural Mechanisms
  • Cognitive Functions and Memory

Their recent papers include:

  • "How Do Scientific Views Change? Notes From an Extended Adversarial Collaboration" (2020), published in Perspectives on Psychological Science
  • "Working memory development: A 50-year assessment of research and underlying theories" (2022), published in Cognition
  • "Working memory limits severely constrain long-term retention" (2020), published in Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
  • "The Relation Between Attention and Memory" (2023), published in Annual Review of Psychology
  • "The roles of attention, executive function and knowledge in cognitive ageing of working memory" (2023), published in Nature Reviews Psychology

Frequent co-authors in Nelson Cowan's research include:

  • Dominic Guitard
  • Alicia Forsberg
  • Moshe Naveh-Benjamin
  • Eryn J. Adams
  • Nathaniel R. Greene

Their publications are often featured in the following venues:

  • Journal of Experimental Psychology Learning Memory and Cognition
  • Memory & Cognition
  • Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology
  • Developmental Science
  • Psychology and Aging

Nelson Cowan has also contributed to the publication of books, including "The Development of Memory in Infancy and Childhood" (2022), released by Psychology Press eBooks.

In recognition of their career, they have been named a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (1999) and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2012).

Best Publications

  • The magical number 4 in short-term memory: a reconsideration of mental storage capacity.

    Nelson Cowan

  • Attention and Memory: An Integrated Framework

    Nelson Cowan

  • Evolving conceptions of memory storage, selective attention, and their mutual constraints within the human information-processing system.

    Nelson Cowan

  • An embedded-processes model of working memory

    Nelson Cowan

  • What are the differences between long-term, short-term, and working memory?

    Nelson Cowan

  • Working Memory Capacity: Classic Edition

    Nelson Cowan

  • A latent variable analysis of working memory capacity, short-term memory capacity, processing speed, and general fluid intelligence

    Andrew R.A Conway;Nelson Cowan;Michael F Bunting;David J Therriault

  • The Magical Mystery Four How Is Working Memory Capacity Limited, and Why?

    Nelson Cowan

  • On the capacity of attention: Its estimation and its role in working memory and cognitive aptitudes.

    Nelson Cowan;Emily M. Elliott;J. Scott Saults;Candice C. Morey

  • The cocktail party phenomenon revisited: The importance of working memory capacity.

    Andrew R. A. Conway;Nelson Cowan;Michael F. Bunting

  • Working Memory Underpins Cognitive Development, Learning, and Education

    Nelson Cowan

  • On short and long auditory stores.

    Nelson Cowan

  • The many faces of working memory and short-term storage.

    Nelson Cowan

  • Memory prerequisites of mismatch negativity in the auditory event-related potential (ERP).

    Nelson Cowan;István Winkler;Wolfgang Teder;Risto Näätänen

  • The role of verbal output time in the effects of word length on immediate memory.

    Nelson Cowan;Linda Day;J.Scott Saults;Tim A Keller

  • Activation, attention, and short-term memory

    Nelson Cowan

  • Separating cognitive capacity from knowledge: a new hypothesis

    Graeme Sydney Halford;Nelson Cowan;Glenda Andrews

  • Benchmarks for models of short-term and working memory.

    Klaus Oberauer;Stephan Lewandowsky;Edward Awh;Gordon D.A. Brown

  • An assessment, of fixed-capacity models of visual working memory

    Jeffrey N. Rouder;Richard D. Morey;Nelson Cowan;Christopher E. Zwilling

  • How to measure working memory capacity in the change detection paradigm

    Jeffrey N. Rouder;Richard D. Morey;Candice C. Morey;Nelson Cowan

  • The cocktail party phenomenon revisited: How frequent are attention shifts to one's name in an irrelevant auditory channel?

    Noelle Wood;Nelson Cowan

  • The development of memory in childhood

    Nelson Cowan

Frequent Co-Authors

J. Scott Saults
J. Scott Saults University of Missouri
Moshe Naveh-Benjamin
Moshe Naveh-Benjamin University of Missouri
Sergio Della Sala
Sergio Della Sala University of Edinburgh
Tiffany P. Hogan
Tiffany P. Hogan MGH Institute of Health Professions
Robert H. Logie
Robert H. Logie University of Edinburgh
Valérie Camos
Valérie Camos University of Fribourg
Jeffrey N. Rouder
Jeffrey N. Rouder University of California, Irvine
Pierre Barrouillet
Pierre Barrouillet University of Geneva
István Winkler
István Winkler Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Andrew R. A. Conway
Andrew R. A. Conway Claremont Graduate University

If you think any of the details on this page are incorrect, let us know.

Report an issue

We appreciate your kind effort to assist us to improve this page, it would be helpful providing us with as much detail as possible in the text box below:

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

Studying Psychology in the USA opens doors to a variety of online degrees and career options, particularly in school counseling. Many choose this pathway due to the vital role counselors play in supporting students’ development, both academically and emotionally.

If you're interested in becoming a school counselor, it's important to be aware that requirements differ by state. For example, becoming a school counselor in Kentucky involves specific educational background and licensure steps. Similarly, Louisiana school counselor certification requirements mandate their own unique training and verification processes.

In states such as Maine, Maine school counselor certification requirements emphasize both practical experience and formal education. Meanwhile, those interested in working in Maryland should review the detailed requirements to be a school counselor in Maryland before pursuing online degrees or licensure.

By understanding these state-specific requirements, students can tailor their online education to align with their intended career path in counseling and psychology.

Best Scientists Citing Nelson Cowan

Trending Scientists

Recently Published Articles