Jonathan E. Prunty

Jonathan E. Prunty

Cognitive Scientist · University of Cambridge

About

I am a cognitive scientist at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, University of Cambridge, where I use methods from experimental psychology to study cognition in both humans and machines. My recent work focuses on how AI systems perceive, represent, and reason about physical and social environments.

Before joining Cambridge I completed a PhD in Developmental Psychology at the University of Kent, studying face detection, visual attention, and infant social cognition. My work combines behavioural experiments, eye-tracking, and the development of new evaluation methods.

News

Preprints & under review

  1. Reverse Turing tests for human-machine task suitability assessments should be profile-driven

    J. E. Prunty, M. Tešić, J. Burden, B. Slater, Z. Tidler, P. Clothier, L. Sun, K. Collins, B. Gonçalves, G. Corsi, S. Ó hÉigeartaigh, L. G. Cheke, S. Cave, J. Hernández-Orallo Preprint, 2026

    Preprint

  2. Capabilities ain't all you need: Measuring propensities in AI

    D. Romero-Alvarado, F. Martínez-Plumed, L. Pacchiardi, …, J. E. Prunty, L. Sun, J. Hernández-Orallo Preprint, 2026

    Preprint

  3. Continual learning requires evaluating trajectories

    L. Pacchiardi, …, J. E. Prunty, …, J. Hernández-Orallo Preprint, 2026

    Preprint

  4. Visual search paradigms reveal human-like signatures in multimodal large language models

    J. Burden, J. E. Prunty, B. Slater, M. Tehenan, G. Davis, L. G. Cheke Preprint, 2025

    Preprint

Publications

  1. General scales unlock AI evaluation with explanatory and predictive power

    L. Zhou, L. Pacchiardi, …, J. E. Prunty, …, J. Hernández-Orallo Nature, 2026

    DOI

  2. Visuospatial perspective taking in multimodal language models

    J. E. Prunty, S. Zhang, P. Quinn, J. Lian, X. Xing, L. G. Cheke Proceedings of the Cognitive Science Society (CogSci), accepted, 2026

    DOI

  3. INTUIT: Investigating intuitive reasoning in humans and language models

    J. E. Prunty, A. O’Flynn, P. Quinn, L. G. Cheke Proceedings of the Cognitive Science Society (CogSci), Vol. 47, 2025

    DOI

  4. A little less conversation, a little more action, please: Investigating the physical common-sense of LLMs in a 3D embodied environment

    M. G. Mecattaf, B. Slater, M. Tešić, J. E. Prunty, K. Voudouris, L. G. Cheke PRICAI, 2025

    DOI

  5. Effect of strengths-based care: Community led support

    J. E. Prunty, J. Zhang, M. Toma, R. Miller, J. E. Forder European Journal of Ageing, 2025

    DOI

  6. Association between digital front doors and social care use for community-dwelling adults in England: Cross-sectional study

    J. Zhang, J. E. Prunty, A. C. Charles, J. E. Forder Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2025

    DOI

  7. Face detection in contextual scenes

    J. E. Prunty, R. Jenkins, R. Qarooni, M. Bindemann PLOS ONE, 2024

    DOI

  8. A cognitive template for face detection

    J. E. Prunty, R. Jenkins, R. Qarooni, M. Bindemann Cognition, 2024

    DOI

  9. Understanding face detection with visual arrays and real-world scenes

    A. Nevard, G. Hole, J. E. Prunty, M. Bindemann Visual Cognition, 2023

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  10. Facial comparison behaviour of forensic facial examiners

    J. Claydon, M. Fysh, J. E. Prunty, R. Moreton, M. Bindemann Applied Cognitive Psychology, 2022

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  11. Ingroup and outgroup differences in face detection

    J. E. Prunty, R. Jenkins, R. Qarooni, M. Bindemann British Journal of Psychology, 2022

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  12. Capacity limits in face detection

    R. Qarooni, J. E. Prunty, M. Bindemann, R. Jenkins Cognition, 2022

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  13. Infants show pupil dilatory responses to happy and angry facial expressions

    J. E. Prunty, J. R. Keemink, D. J. Kelly Developmental Science, 2022

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  14. Infants scan static and dynamic facial expressions differently

    J. E. Prunty, J. R. Keemink, D. J. Kelly Infancy, 2021

    DOI

  15. Eye movements and behavioural responses to gaze contingent expressive faces in typically-developing infants and infant siblings

    J. R. Keemink, A. Wood Jenner, J. E. Prunty, D. J. Kelly Autism Research, 2021

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  16. Caucasian infants' attentional orienting to own- and other-race faces

    J. E. Prunty, K. Jackson, J. R. Keemink, D. J. Kelly Brain Sciences, 2020

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  17. Face processing

    O. Pascalis, M. Fort, J. E. Prunty, D. J. Kelly Encyclopedia of Infant and Early Childhood Development, 2nd ed., 2020

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  18. Family therapy for autism spectrum disorders

    D. Spain, J. Sin, E. Paliokosta, M. Furuta, J. E. Prunty, T. Chalder, D. G. Murphy, F. G. Happé Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2017

    DOI

  19. Conceptualizing and treating social anxiety in autism spectrum disorder: A focus group study with multidisciplinary professionals

    D. Spain, F. Rumball, L. O’Neill, J. Sin, J. E. Prunty, F. G. Happé Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 2016

    DOI

Full list on Google Scholar →