In the years prior to my visit to Loughborough, my research focus had gradually shifted from children’s arithmetic to logical reasoning. In this connection, I quickly became aware of the work of Matthew Inglis and Lara Alcock at Loughborough, both of whom were already well established in the area. We got to know each other initially through email and virtual meetings, and we were all interested in initiating a collaboration. A perfect opportunity to do so came in the form of the IAS Residential Fellowship, which enabled me to visit for a month during my sabbatical year (2025-2026).

We decided to work together on a project investigating the roles of knowledge and logical form in undergraduate math students’ logical reasoning. This project built on Matthew and Lara’s work on “belief bias” in mathematical reasoning (a phenomenon in which judgments about the formal validity of an argument is influenced by one’s prior beliefs about the argument’s content). Our goal was to test theoretical predictions, derived from theories in cognitive psychology about which I had some expertise, regarding how the form in which arguments are presented should affect the magnitude of belief bias. We worked out most of the details of our collaboration in advance; in fact, data collection and analysis were complete before my arrival. We consequently were free to spend the month of my visit discussing implications of the findings, possible next steps, and broader theoretical questions.

This month was among the happiest of my academic life. Matthew and Lara were not only very welcoming, but also incredibly thoughtful, knowledgeable, and sharp. We had so many common interests that we could only begin to explore them in one month. To mention just one concrete result of our work together, while I was at Loughborough, we jointly conceptualized, then coded, a novel computational cognitive model that formalizes the differences between two alternative psychological theories of students’ logical reasoning and compares the theories in terms of their fit to our data. I am hopeful, and confident, that we will continue a productive collaboration for years into the future.

My interactions with the broader research community at Loughborough were also highly enjoyable and stimulating. I was provided an office space within the Wavy Top building, home to the math cognition research group, a globally known center for research on mathematical thinking, learning, and education. I found that I had common interests with almost every researcher in the group and was fortunate to be able to meet one on one with many of them. I also had the opportunity to give several research presentations while at Loughborough — two at the IAS and two more to the math cognition group. The questions and comments that I received at these presentations were very probing and useful, and helped me considerably in developing my new research direction.

Finally, I must not neglect to mention that the IAS and its staff, including Kieran, Jenny, Connor, Lynda, and others, were absolutely crucial to making my time in Loughborough so pleasant and successful. From arranging my travel and housing (which was very comfortable and convenient), to helping me join Loughborough’s excellent gym, to providing a campus tour and answering all of my questions, to arranging logistics for my presentations – everything ran smoothly and made me feel welcome. I will continue to think fondly of my time in Loughborough as I continue to work with my colleagues there.

Dr David William Braithwaite