Uriel González-Bravo

Welcome to my blog!

The goal of this first post is to introduce myself and explain the purpose of this space. I hope to publish more things that I consider can provide a different and scientific vision on some topics of daily life, as well as some recommendations of books I am reading and even some personal thoughts. Let me start by telling you a bit about myself.

About Me
My name is Uriel González-Bravo. I am currently a Ph.D. student in Cognitive Psychology at Rutgers University. I’m from Mexico City, or as some call it, “La CDMX,” previously known as “El D.F.” My interest in psychology began in high school when I had to decide what to study. At that time, I was fascinated by topics related to sexual behavior and romantic relationships, from the neuroscience behind them to their social aspects. However, my interests shifted dramatically towards classical and operant conditioning topics in my first year of university. For those unfamiliar, classical conditioning is commonly associated with Pavlov’s dogs, and operant conditioning with Skinner’s pigeons and rats that work for food. I became so fascinated that I wanted to explain all human behavior through these lenses, which I now think was an exaggeration.

My Academic Journey
I studied at the Faculty of Psychology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), specifically in cognitive and behavioral sciences. I also took some classes in the Psychobiology and Neuroscience area and courses in animal behavior and behavioral ecology at the Faculty of Sciences (Biology).

For a long time, I worked in the laboratory of Dr. Arturo Bouzas and also with Dr. Marina Menez. My research interests focused on how organisms perceive time. My undergraduate thesis was on this topic (you can read it here!). After completing my degree, I did a research stay in the United Kingdom with Dr. Darren Rhodes and Dr. Massimiliano Di Luca, who were interested in Bayesian models of temporal perception. After my research stay, I completed a specialization in Applied Statistics at the Institute for Research in Applied Mathematics and Systems (IIMAS) at UNAM, which led me to work later on projects related to psychometrics and at institutions like CENEVAL, besides teaching at other universities and at high school (one of the hardest things I’ve done).

My Current Research
I am currently pursuing my Ph.D. in the USA, under the guidance of Prof. Jacob Feldman. My research topic explores how we can recognize the actions of others from minimal visual information, a field known as Biological Motion (see this video for an example!). I am part of a special program at Rutgers University called Socrates Socially Cognizant Robotics for a Technology Enhanced Society (SOCRATES), which is an interdisciplinary program that aims to bridge areas ranging from computer science to public policy for the implementation of improvements in the design and interaction between humans and robots. Surprisingly, robots face very similar visual perception problems that people do. For example, determining if a person is running or walking, and if running, what the reason might be—whether they are exercising or fleeing  from danger.

Blog Purpose
The intention of this blog is to make science communication about cognitive sciences and experimental behavior analysis in a more accessible way. Although there is plenty of content on these topics on social media, it often comes from a pop psychology perspective, or the authors lack formal training. Unfortunately, academic scholars seldom engage in science communication. Moreover, some communicators are extremely wedded to one extreme—for example, those who deny entirely the study of cognition or others who claim that behaviorism has died and has nothing to offer. I would like to use my formal training and broad interest across psychology to help people understand the complex topics in a relatable way. I want to contribute my grain of sand, hoping this reaches those who wish to learn about human and animal behavior from a more open-minded perspective.

Let’s explore the depths of cognitive psychology and behavioral science together and see where this dialogue takes us!