Alumni Profile - Gordon D. Logan (’69 BA), (’72 MSc)

Gordon D. Logan

Winner of a 2026 Alumni Honor Award, Dr. Gordon Logan is regarded as one of the most influential cognitive scientists of his generation, praised for his intellectual curiosity and scholarly integrity. One of his most famous achievements is the "stop-signal task," a groundbreaking paradigm that defined the modern understanding of cognitive control — that is, our ability to inhibit impulses and manage complex thoughts. His research remains a foundational reference in psychology, neuroscience and clinical studies aiming to understand medical conditions like ADHD, schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease. An elected member of the National Academy of Sciences who has received numerous awards and honours, Logan’s international renown is matched by his humility and generosity with his time, both as a dedicated mentor and as a longtime editor of the journal, Cognitive Psychology.

Please tell us about yourself, and what you studied at the University of Alberta.

I’m Gordon D. Logan. I got my 3-year B.A. degree in 1969, I did a year as a special student, and then I did my M.Sc. degree in psychology from 1970-1972.

What do you remember most about your time at U of A? Did you have any favourite events or customs on campus?

I had two “lives” at University of Alberta. I did my B.A. there and followed up with an M.Sc. In the first life, the main question was “who am I?” I had no clear idea of what I wanted to do. I found my major, psychology, interesting but I wasn’t engaged with my classes and spent a lot of time in the “Blue Room” (the theatre lobby lounge) in the Students Union Building. After nearly flunking out I got serious and learned the benefits of going to all the classes and reading the textbook. I took courses on the basic science of psychology and fell in love with experimental psychology. I had a clear answer to “who am I?” “I am an experimental cognitive psychologist.” That identity, born at University of Alberta, remains a big part of my answer to the question.

My questions about psychology began at University of Alberta as well. I found that the psychology of attention captured my interest. It is a core process that is involved in everything we do—there is always something we’re paying attention to. It can be grabbed involuntarily by sudden noises or looming predators, but mostly it is under our control. I can attend to my screen as I’m writing this and ignore the TV. I found this control fascinating. We are made of the same stuff as the rocks in the North Saskatchewan, but somehow I can throw the rocks in the river. We participate in the same event, but I am the cause. Much of my life has been spent turning this question into experiments that tell its story and weaving this story into computational theories. My work on attention, automaticity, memory, skill acquisition and response inhibition is all driven by this question.

Is there a particular building you liked the best at the University? What’s your favourite part of campus?

There are three. The first is the old Students Union Building. It had a nice lounge with comfortable leather couches to nap on. The second is the new Students Union Building across the street. Both buildings were halfway between the parking lot at the Jubilee Auditorium and my classes in the Tory Building and I often succumbed to the temptation of a warm, welcoming visit with friends instead of trudging through the snow to my classes.

The third is the Biological Sciences Building, where I did my M.Sc. I ran experiments on rats in the building before it was completed and I ran the first experiments (on humans) I designed myself there after the building opened. I had my first office ever in the psychology wing and I became part of a community. I made lifelong friendships with fellow students.

What did you like best about your Faculty? Is there anything you would have changed if you were in charge? Did you have a favourite instructor?

What I like best about the Faculty of Arts is the breadth and diversity of scholarship and research and its participation in the broader intellectual community. I loved being taught by people who were actively pursuing scholarly careers. I felt like I was experiencing the cutting edge of each discipline, and that was exciting.

I have three favourite professors: Barbara Shaffer, Bill Rozeboom, and Willie Runquist. Barbara did research on learning and taught an undergraduate learning course that was inspirational. I knew psychologists did research, but I never understood how arguments were built from a series of experiments until I took her course. That was the most important lesson I learned as a student. I have spent my life creating series of experiments that tell stories. I did well in Barbara’s course and she took me on as a research assistant to run experiments on rats. Her encouragement and support were essential in my transition to graduate school and her love of the science of psychology was inspirational.

Bill Rozeboom was a mathematical psychologist concerned with broad theoretical issues. I took a higher-level course on statistics from him in my last undergraduate year, which formed the basis of the statistical knowledge I rely on in my work every day. Watching his excitement as he taught about the intricacies of correlation and regression, I realized he was self-actualizing. This was who he was as a person, actively pursuing his passion, answering his “who am I?” question every day. I took a directed study course with him to learn more about statistics and got to see a real professor up close. He taught a core graduate course on “History and Systems of Psychology” that every graduate student had to take. I learned how to think about theory from that course and bonded with several students in the class.

Willie Runquist advised my M.Sc. thesis and helped me move to a Ph.D. program that matched my developing interest better. I saw Willie as a “real scientist.” He was a card-carrying member of the broader intellectual community, publishing in the best journals and serving on the editorial boards of the best journals in the field. He taught me how to be an experimental psychologist. He was an empiricist and insisted on clear, well thought out experiments that tested important questions. Like Barbara, he was adept at telling stories with experiments and I learned how to do that from his example.

Can you remember an event you enjoyed at the University?

There were many. I had a friend from Grande Prairie who rode bucking broncos in a rodeo held in the hockey rink. I got to go down to the chute with him and watch him ride up close. I played in a rock and roll band that had a gig on the top floor of the Students Union Building tower.

Which class would you take again if you had the chance?

I would like to take Barbara Shaffer’s learning course and Bill Rozeboom’s history and systems course again.

If you could go back in time and get another degree at the University, what would you study?

Mathematics and computer science. I rely on these a lot in my work and I would like to know more about them.

What lessons did you learn in University that helped you out the most in your work life? What lessons did you never think about again?

The most important lesson I learned at University of Alberta was that I could do well if I applied myself and did all the work required to do it right. This improved my grades at university and has served me well in the professional challenges I have faced and embraced throughout the career. There are two parts to this lesson: “work hard” and “I can do it!” Both are essential.

What opportunities did your education open up for you? Was there any special training or opportunities granted to you by attendance at U of A?

University of Alberta opened up a life for me I never imagined as a child. It tolerated my uncertainty and indecision in my early years and it showed me the “universe” of scholarship that makes a university. It helped me find out who I am—a person who loves to teach and do research on psychology—and it guided me through my first steps to becoming a scientist and a professor.

I found another true love at University of Alberta. I met my wife in the Blue Room of the Students Union Building. We have been very happy together ever since. She loves psychology as much as I do and has been the first to hear every idea I had, making each one better. She has been an inspiration to me as a person and a scientist and she has been a big part of who I am: I am the one who loves Jane!

What advice would you give current students in your program?

Find your passion and pursue it with all your heart. You are capable of great things if you apply yourself and do the work required to do it right. Seek out other ideas and other disciplines. Find friends who share your interests and share your ideas frequently. Some of my most important mentors were fellow students I could “talk psychology” with.

What do you know now that you wish you’d known when you were attending the U of A?

I know I can do difficult things if I apply myself. I didn’t have that confidence when I first started university.

Did your current job actually exist when you were a student at U of A?

Yes. I’m a professor.

Since you’ve graduated, how has your relationship with the U of A evolved?

My family is in Edmonton, so I visit often. Sometimes we go to campus to reminisce. I know faculty there and I follow the alumni news.

What parts of your Arts education do you now realize were foundational to how you think, work, or understand society?

My Arts education taught me the vastness and depth of human inquiry. I learned important principles of academic life that extend far beyond the ivory tower: Respect people who know more than you do and realize that everyone knows more about something than you do. We’re all asking, “who am I?” in our own way.

What’s a challenge facing society today that you believe Arts graduates are uniquely equipped to help solve?

One challenge is the political polarization that divides people. Arts education is very diverse. It includes many different ways of thinking and teaches respect for other ideas and opinions. Another challenge is the encroachment of artificial intelligence in all aspects of life. An Arts education teaches us what it is to be human.

How do you hope your work/contributions will make life better for others? Did your Arts education influence that sense of purpose?

Throughout my childhood my parents told me that I would go to university so I could get a good job. They were right. I believe that education is the most important and most accessible way to improve one’s life. I learned this in my own experience at University of Alberta. Education made me a better scholar and, I think, a better person. It was clear that my professors believed in the value of education because they were devoting their lives to it. I share that value with them and I have devoted my life to teaching and research.

What's a fun fact you learned in Arts that still surprises you (or others!)?

You can learn how people think by watching them behave. That’s the essence of experimental psychology and the guiding principle behind all of my research.