Samuel McDougle has been honored with the 2026 Cognitive Neuroscience Society Young Investigator Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions by scientists early in their careers. Each year, two awardees are selected, and this year’s second recipient is also a Yale Psychology alum—Monica Rosenberg.
Sam’s research explores how the cerebellum, a structure traditionally associated with motor control, also supports cognitive functions such as language, working memory, and social cognition. His lab’s recent work reveals that the cerebellum uses prediction and error-based learning principles—similar to those in sensorimotor tasks—to coordinate cognitive processes. These findings blur the line between motor and cognitive domains, expanding our understanding of the cerebellum’s role in human thought.