Thompson, Joseph J.

Education and Credentials

Ph.D., Simon Fraser University
M.A., Simon Fraser University
B.A. (Hons.), Simon Fraser University

Academic and Professional Profile

Joe’s graduate career began in analytic philosophy where he hoped to demonstrate the relevance of empirical research to philosophical problems. At some point, Joe’s growing interest in empirical research outpaced his interest in the philosophy of language, science, and mind. Joe subsequently began a PhD in psychology at Simon Fraser University, where he hoped to demonstrate the relevance of philosophy to empirical research. This project initially took the form of theoretical papers on research methods in developmental psychology. Reflections on research methods, and the fortune of living in an era with excellent video games, eventually lead Joe to conduct research on expert performance using large datasets of gamer behaviour.

At some point in his intellectual development, Joe attempted to apply his peculiar background to teaching, and this has since become Joe’s primary interest. His background in philosophy helps him teach scientific logic, his background in child developmental has shaped his larger teaching philosophy, and his research on skill learning affords him a unique vantage from which to advise students on how to become really really good at stuff.