Pylyshyn's research generally involved the theoretical analysis of the nature of the human cognitive systems behind perception, imagination, and reasoning. He developed visual indexing theory (sometimes called the FINST theory) which hypothesizes a pre-conceptual mechanism responsible for individuating, tracking, and directly (or demonstratively) referring to the visual properties encoded by cognitive processes. His very influential multiple object tracking experiment methodology emerged from this work.
In 1994 he accepted positions as the Board of Governors Professor of Cognitive Science and as the director of the new Rutgers University Center for Cognitive Science in New Brunswick, New Jersey. In May 2016 Rutgers held a one-day "ZenFest", to commemorate his retirement.[4]
Center for Cognitive Science (n.d.). "Dr. Zenon Pylyshyn". ruccs.rutgers.edu. Rutgers University. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.