Social Sciences

Professor Nagireddy Neelakanteswar Reddy has an interdisciplinary background in psychology, philosophy, and cognitive science. His academic journey began with a BA in Psychology and Philosophy, followed by an MA in Philosophy from the University of Hyderabad (and completed coursework for an MA in Psychology at Andhra University). He furthered his studies in human behaviour with an MPhil in Cognitive Science from the University of Hyderabad and completed his PhD in Cognitive Science at IIT Gandhinagar.

His research explores (both theoretically and experimentally) the implications of evolutionary theory for understanding cognitive and existential issues in psychology, such as the purpose of life, free will, and rationality. He also conducts experimental studies on folk-psychological beliefs and intuitions about the mind. Ultimately, he aims to contribute academically to the development of an evolutionary-naturalistic worldview that can inform both individual lives and public policy.

Professor Nagireddy Neelakanteswar Reddy's MPhil work developed an analogy between biological evolutionary processes and epistemic processes. His PhD research addressed theoretical, philosophical, and metascientific issues related to the construct of the 'sense of agency.' Subsequently, his post-PhD work explored topics in sensory-perceptual processes, such as cognitive penetration and multisensory integration. Currently, he is focusing on the implications of evolutionary perspectives for existential issues in psychology.

• Reddy, N.N (2022). Non-Motor Cues do not Generate the Perception of Self-Agency: A Critique of Cue-Integration, Consciousness and Cognition, 103.
• Reddy, N.N (2022). The Implicit Sense of Agency Is Not a Perceptual Effect but Is a Judgment Effect, Cognitive Processing, 23. 1-13.
• Reddy, N.N (2021). Cognitive Penetration Is an Instance of Experimental Confounding ― Due to the Operationalization of Perception As a Magnitude Estimation (Rather Than As a Category Identification), The Journal of Mind and Behavior, 42(1). 73-98. 
• Reddy, N.N (2020). The Explicit Sense of Agency ― as Operationalized in Experimental Paradigms ― is not a Feeling, but Is a Judgment, The Journal of Mind and Behavior, 41(3&4). 177-210.
   

• PSY101 Introduction to Psychology
• PSY205 Evolutionary Psychology
• PHI235 Philosophy of Psychology
• PSY325 Thinking and Reasoning
• PSY405 Drivers of Psychological Science