Psi Chi lecture to feature “Invisible Gorilla” author

Research psychologist and author Christopher Chabris will deliver the annual Psi Chi lecture at SUNY Poly’s Utica campus April 16 starting at 12:30 p.m. in Kunsela Lecture Hall. His lecture, presented by SUNY Poly’s Psi Chi chapter is entitled “The Invisible Gorilla, And Other Ways Our Intuitions Deceive Us.” It is free and open to the public.

Chabris received an A.B. in computer science and a Ph.D. in psychology from Harvard University, where he was also a Lecturer and Research Associate for many years. He is now Associate Professor of Psychology and co-director of the Neuroscience Program at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Neurology at Albany Medical College. He is the co-author (with Daniel Simons) of the New York Times bestseller and Editor’s Choice book The Invisible Gorilla, and Other Ways Our Intuitions Deceive Us, published in 2010. In 2004 Chabris and Simons shared the Ig Nobel Prize in Psychology (awarded for “achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think”) for the experiment that inspired their book. His research focuses on three main areas: collective intelligence in human groups; individual differences in thinking and decision-making; and how cognitive illusions affect our lives.

Founded more than 80 years ago, Psi Chi is the national honor society in psychology. Its purpose is to encourage, stimulate, and maintain excellence in scholarship, and advance the science of psychology. SUNY Poly’s Psi Chi chapter is one of more than 1,000 chapters on college and university campuses across the U.S.