Allen Newell
Allen Newell built computer models of problem solving and cognition through sustained research with several collaborators. Newell moved to Pittsburgh in 1955 while continuing RAND work. Newell, Simon and J. C. Shaw developed the Logic Theory Machine. The memoir dates its hand simulation to December 1955 and a running program to summer 1956, with list-processing language work alongside it. Newell coauthored 1982 work with Paul Rosenbloom on learning by chunking and 1983 work with John Laird on problem-solving methods within the developing Soar program. Newell’s Unified Theories of Cognition appeared in 1990. Soar was presented as a candidate architecture for cognition.
- Works
- 290
- Citations
- 46,217
- h-index
- 70
Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 14 October 2026.
Timeline
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1955–1956
The Logic Theorist
Newell moved to Pittsburgh in 1955 while continuing RAND work. Newell, Simon and J. C. Shaw developed the Logic Theory Machine. The team simulated it by hand in December 1955 and had a running program by summer 1956, while developing list-processing language work alongside it.
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1957–1960
The General Problem Solver
Newell, Shaw and Simon studied means–ends analysis in 1957. This led to the General Problem Solver, which Newell, Shaw and Simon presented in a 1960 publication. The program required a representation of a problem domain and operators that could change its state.
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1972
Studying human problem solving
Newell and Simon published Human Problem Solving, drawing together experiments, computer simulation and theory. This was their last major joint project. The book fits Newell’s broader use of computer models to investigate how people solve problems.
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1982–1990
Soar and a theory of cognition
Newell coauthored 1982 work with Paul Rosenbloom on learning by chunking and 1983 work with John Laird on problem-solving methods within the developing Soar program. Newell’s Unified Theories of Cognition appeared in 1990. Soar was presented as a candidate architecture for cognition.
Sources and credits
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