CogFog 2.0

Rendering of the Cog Fog cutout that was on the wall of the 7626 lab room

Cog what? The CogFog (or cogfog depending on who you ask) meeting was started in 1979 at The University of California, Los Angeles by three professors: Elizabeth Bjork, Robert Bjork, and Thomas Wickens. The name originates from the confusion or fog that shrouded graduate students’ minds as they discussed research in group meetings; or, more charitably, it reflects the desirably difficult and effortful thinking that characterizes deep learning and the thoughtful investigation of human learning and memory. Over the next 40 years, these meetings were held on campus every Friday morning—a gathering of researchers at UCLA with a shared interest in memory. In 2020, these meetings shifted to an online format (I wonder why), opening these meetings up to CogFog alumni and friends.

The CogFog meetings represent many generations of memory research and were attended by many recognizable researchers. Loosely, the CogFog timeline can be categorized into The Early Era (1979-1983), The Generation Generation (1984-1988), The Inhibited Era (1989-1993), Illusions of Competence Era (1994-1998), Retrieval Practice Era (1999-2009) and The Interleaving Era (2010-2025). See the timeline and researchers here or click here to see the slideshow from the 35th anniversary celebration.

CogFog 1.0 concluded in 2025. Now, it’s time for CogFog 2.0. These will be monthly meetings on Friday mornings over Zoom.

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