# David Leiser > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/David_Leiser > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/David_Leiser.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Leiser > Source revision: 1346156057 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Israeli cognitive psychologist and polymath}} thumb|right|250px|David Leiser '''David Leiser''' ({{langx|he|דויד לייזר}}; born April 1, 1952) is an Israeli [cognitive psychologist](/source/cognitive_psychologist), polymath, and Professor Emeritus at [Ben-Gurion University of the Negev](/source/Ben-Gurion_University_of_the_Negev). A former research assistant to [Jean Piaget](/source/Jean_Piaget). His research explores the "lay theories" people use to navigate complex systems—ranging from macroeconomics and geopolitical forecasting to [Artificial Intelligence](/source/Artificial_Intelligence). Leiser has served as President of the Economic Psychology division of the [International Association of Applied Psychology](/source/International_Association_of_Applied_Psychology) (IAAP) and was president of the [International Association for Research in Economic Psychology](/source/International_Association_for_Research_in_Economic_Psychology) (IAREP) from 2011 to 2014. == Biography and Education == David Leiser was born in Antwerp, Belgium. A polyglot, he is conversant in eight languages: French, Hebrew, English, Flemish, Yiddish, German, Latin, and Italian. He earned his B.Sc. in [Mathematics](/source/Mathematics) at [The Hebrew University of Jerusalem](/source/The_Hebrew_University_of_Jerusalem) (1972), followed by an MSc at the [University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign](/source/University_of_Illinois_at_Urbana-Champaign) (1973). He completed his doctorate in psychology at the [University of Geneva](/source/University_of_Geneva) (1978) under the mentorship of [Jean Piaget](/source/Jean_Piaget), where he served as a Research Assistant. This formative period established his focus on the "internal organization" of knowledge and genetic epistemology. == Academic career == Following his doctorate, Leiser held a research position at the [Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics](/source/Max_Planck_Institute_for_Psycholinguistics) in Nijmegen, Netherlands (1978–1979). He joined the faculty of [Ben-Gurion University of the Negev](/source/Ben-Gurion_University_of_the_Negev) in 1979, where he was appointed full professor in 2008. His career is marked by a global research footprint, holding prestigious visiting positions and sabbaticals at: * [MIT](/source/Massachusetts_Institute_of_Technology) (1986–1987) * [University of Chicago](/source/University_of_Chicago) (1976–1977) * [Yale University](/source/Yale_University) and [Harvard University](/source/Harvard_University) (2007) * [Paris II (Panthéon-Assas)](/source/Panth%C3%A9on-Assas_University) (2017) — recognized as France's premier institution for economics and law. * [Paris V (René Descartes)](/source/Universit%C3%A9_Paris_Cit%C3%A9) (1993–1994) At BGU, he founded the Center for Research on Pension, Insurance, and Economic Psychology (PIF) and has been a central figure in academic outreach to the [Haredi](/source/Haredi) community. == Research and contributions == === Cognitive Mapping and Developmental Foundations === Leiser’s early research applied Genevan structuralism to spatial and cultural concepts. His 1989 study on cognitive maps in Israel is a foundational text in environmental psychology.{{cite journal |last=Leiser |first=D. |title=A Survey of Cognitive Maps |journal=Environment and Behavior |date=1989 |doi=10.1177/0013916589214004}} He also explored the construction of knowledge in children, such as the synthesis of astronomical and biological concepts regarding "birthdays."{{cite journal |last=Leiser |first=D. |title=Children's conceptions about birthdays |journal=Journal of Genetic Psychology |year=2002 |doi=10.1080/00221320209598681}} === Economic Psychology and "Causal Clusters" === In ''How We Misunderstand Economics and Why It Matters'' (2018), Leiser argues that the human brain relies on "Causal Clusters"—simplified, narrative-driven mental models—to navigate macroeconomics, for which it lacks an evolutionary endowment. This leads to systematic misunderstandings of systemic feedback and equilibrium.Leiser, D., & Shemesh, Y. (2018). ''How We Misunderstand Economics and Why It Matters''. [Routledge](/source/Routledge). === Forecasting and the "Cassandra" Problem === In the 2020s, Leiser's research expanded into predictive intelligence. In the ''Journal of Personality and Social Psychology'' (2025), he investigated the "Cassandra" phenomenon: the psychological barriers that prevent accurate geopolitical forecasts from being utilized by decision-makers.{{cite journal |last=Leiser |first=D. |title=Do People Listen to Cassandra? Persuasion and Accuracy in Geopolitical Forecasts |journal=Journal of Personality and Social Psychology |year=2025 |doi=10.1177/01461672251375500|doi-access=free }} === AI and Cognitive Epistemology === Leiser’s current work addresses the "epistemic impasse" in [Artificial Intelligence](/source/Artificial_Intelligence). Drawing on genetic epistemology, he argues that while [Large Language Models](/source/Large_Language_Models) (LLMs) achieve associative plausibility, they lack the structural "internal organization" and logical necessity inherent in human cognitive architecture. == Selected publications == * {{cite book |last1=Leiser |first1=D. |last2=Shemesh |first2=Y. |title=How We Misunderstand Economics and Why It Matters |publisher=Routledge |year=2018 |url=http://www.misunderstandeconomics.com/}} * {{cite book |last1=Leiser |first1=D. |last2=Gillièron |first2=C. |title=Cognitive Science and Genetic Epistemology: A Case Study of Understanding |publisher=Plenum Press |year=1990}} * {{cite journal |last1=Leiser |first1=D. |title=Do People Listen to Cassandra? Persuasion and Accuracy in Geopolitical Forecasts |journal=Journal of Personality and Social Psychology |date=2025 |doi=10.1177/01461672251375500|doi-access=free }} * {{cite journal |last1=Leiser |first1=D. |title=Improving geopolitical forecasts with 100 brains and one computer |journal=International Journal of Forecasting |date=2024 |doi=10.1016/j.ijforecast.2023.01.008|doi-access=free |hdl=10398/9d6d79db-bee0-4003-a2ed-59079ebea167 |hdl-access=free }} == References == {{reflist|refs= [https://bgu.academia.edu/DavidLeiser CV], at bgu.academia.edu Solomon, Ido (2008). [https://www.themarker.com/career/1.506215 "David Leiser appointed President of IAREP"]. [TheMarker](/source/TheMarker) }} == External links == * [http://www.misunderstandeconomics.com/ Official companion site for ''How We Misunderstand Economics''] * [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=d7RCf2kAAAAJ David Leiser at Google Scholar] {{Authority control}} Category:1952 births Category:Israeli psychologists Category:Cognitive scientists Category:Academic staff of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Category:University of Geneva alumni --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [David Leiser](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Leiser) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Leiser?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.