Penn offers a rich and dynamic environment for research in the philosophy of mind and of cognitive science. Within the department, multiple faculty are working in the areas of perception and its relation to cognition and consciousness (Hatfield), inductive inference and belief change (Weinstein), computational and other formal models of cognition (Bicchieri, Kimbrough, Weisberg), the format of thought (Hatfield), and artificial intelligence (Bicchieri, Kimbrough, Weinstein). In addition, Hatfield works in the history of psychology and its relation to philosophy and Weisberg is exploring the psychology of explanation and similarity judgments.

The department also has exceptionally strong connections to other researchers in cognitive science and psychology. The University as a whole offers some of the richest resources in cognitive science in the world, featuring a large number of institutes, departments, and centers with the study of the mind as their primary focus, and many of Penn's philosophy faculty are involved with the Institute for Research in Cognitive Science, the Neuroethics Program, the Visual Studies Program, and the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience.