Recent News
Current call for fellowships
We have 7 open calls for fellowships across disciplines. The deadline is March 15th 2026.
Please find the calls here:
CfA: RUB-LSE Workshop on Animal Minds
Participation via Zoom is also possible. More information
Call for abstracts: Ruhr-University Bochum & London School of Economics joint workshop “Animal Minds: New Theories and New Observations”, 9th-10th of February 2026 in Bochum, abstract deadline: 01.12.2025
The interdisciplinary workshop “Animal Minds: New Theories and New Observations”, jointly organized by Ruhr-University Bochum and The London School of Economics, will take place on the 9th & 10th of February 2026 at Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany.
The workshop will combine discussions of new theoretical and methodological approaches with presentations of novel empirical findings about animal minds.
The following speakers are confirmed: Colin Allen, Kristin Andrews, Jonathan Birch, Thomas Bugnyar, Tomer Czaczkes, Rebecca Dreier, Leonard Dung, Albert Newen, Simone Pika, Sanja Sreckovic, and Daria Zakharova.
We are inviting contributions from philosophy, psychology, ethology, neuroscience, biology, and other relevant disciplines. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
- What do we know about capacities such as reasoning, sentience, or social understanding in other species?
- How do the cognitive and affective capacities of different species compare and contrast with each other and with human capacities?
- What is the evolutionary origin of important human psychological features?
- What are promising methodological frameworks and experimental paradigms for investigating animal minds?
- Which theories about animal minds are supported by recent empirical findings?
- What are the promises and limitations of multidimensional profile and signature testing accounts in comparative psychology?
To be considered for a talk (30 minutes + 15 minutes discussion) or poster presentation, please send an abstract of your proposed presentation of up to 500 words (excluding references) to: hilfskraefte-newen@rub.de. The abstract should be anonymous, allowing blinded review, and accompanied by a second Word or PDF file containing author name(s), affiliation(s), and contact details. The deadline for abstract submissions is the 1st of December 2025. We plan to notify everyone about whether their abstract is accepted within two weeks after the deadline.
This joint event is organized by the following team:
Ruhr-University Bochum: Sanja Sreckovic, Leonard Dung, & Albert Newen
London School of Economics: Jonathan Birch
Please direct any questions to: leonard.dung@rub.de
Upcoming Events
27
May
Rudolf-Carnap-Lectures 2026: Transformative Experience. with L.A. Paul
May 27
10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Relevant Publications
For full list of selected publications, see the publications page
Prediction error processing and sharpening of expected information across the face-processing hierarchy
Blank, 2024 Garlichs, A. & Blank, H. (2024). Prediction error processing and sharpening of expected information across the face-processing hierarchy. Nature Communications, 15, 3407.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-47749-9
Out of touch? How trauma shapes the experience of social touch – neural and endocrine pathways
Scheele, 2024 Stevens L., Bregulla M., Scheele D. (2024). Out of touch? How trauma shapes the experience of social touch – neural and endocrine pathways. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews (in press)
Opposing serial effects of stimulus and choice in speech perception scale with context variability
Blank, 2024 Ufer, C. & Blank, H. (2024) Opposing serial effects of stimulus and choice in speech perception scale with context variability. iScience:110611.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2024.110611
Deceptive XAI: Typology, Creation and Detection
Meske, 2024 Schneider, J., Meske, C. & Vlachos, M. (2024). Deceptive XAI: Typology, Creation and Detection. SN Computer Science 5, 81. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42979-023-02401-z
When is learning “effortful”? Scrutinizing the concept of mental effort in cognitively-oriented research from a motivational perspective
Roelle, 2024 Grund, A., Fries, S., Nückles, M., Renkl, A., & Roelle, J. (2024). When is learning “effortful”? Scrutinizing the concept of mental effort in cognitively-oriented research from a motivational perspective. Educational Psychology Review, 36, Article...
Foundation Models – A New Paradigm for Artificial Intelligence
Meske, 2024 Schneider, J., Meske, C. and Kuss, P. (2024). Foundation Models – A New Paradigm for Artificial Intelligence. Business & Information Systems Engineering 66, 221–231. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12599-024-00851-0
Exploring accidental triggers of smart speakers
Kolossa, 2022 Schönherr, L., Golla, M., Eisenhofer, T., Wiele, J., Kolossa, D., & Holz, T. (2022). Exploring accidental triggers of smart speakers. Computer Speech & Language, 73, 101328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csl.2021.101328
Neural dynamic foundations of a theory of higher cognition: The case of grounding nested phrases.
Schöner & Sabinasz, 2023 Sabinasz, D., Richter, M., & Schöner, G. (2023). Neural dynamic foundations of a theory of higher cognition: The case of grounding nested phrases. Cognitive Neurodynamics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11571-023-10007-7
A Perceptually Grounded Neural Dynamic Architecture Establishes Analogy Between Visual Object Pairs
Sabinasz & Schöner, 2022 Sabinasz, D. & Schöner, G. (2022). A Perceptually Grounded Neural Dynamic Architecture Establishes Analogy Between Visual Object Pairs. In J. Culbertson, Perfors, A., Rabagliati, H., & Ramenzoni, V. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 44th...
Opposing serial effects of stimulus and choice in speech perception scale with context variability
Blank, 2024 Ufer, C. & Blank, H. (2024) Opposing serial effects of stimulus and choice in speech perception scale with context variability. iScience:110611.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2024.110611
Mechanistic flexibility of the Retrosplenial Cortex enables its contribution to spatial cognition
Manahan-Vaughan, 2022 Stacho M, Manahan-Vaughan D (2022) Mechanistic flexibility of the Retrosplenial Cortex enables its contribution to spatial cognition. Trends Neurosci. 45:284- 296. doi: 10.1016/j.tins.2022.01.007
Do students learn more from failing alone or in groups? Insights into the effects of collaborative versus individual problem solving in productive failure
Rummel, 2023 Brand, C., Hartmann, C., Loibl, K. & Rummel, N.v(2023). Do students learn more from failing alone or in groups? Insights into the effects of collaborative versus individual problem solving in productive failure. Instructional Science....
Profiles of animal consciousness: A species-sensitive, two-tier account to quality and distribution.
Newen, 2023 Dung, L., & Newen, A. (2023). Profiles of animal consciousness: A species-sensitive, two-tier account to quality and distribution. Cognition, 235, 105409. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105409
Can you teach me not to be angry? Relations between temperament and the emotion regulation strategy distraction in 2-year-olds.
Schneider, 2022 Schoppmann, J., Schneider, S., & Seehagen, S. (2022). Can you teach me not to be angry? Relations between temperament and the emotion regulation strategy distraction in 2-year-olds. Child Development, 93(1), 165–179....
Mental Content
Schlicht, 2022 Dołęga, K., & Schlicht, T. (2022). Mental Content. In Mind, Cognition, and Neuroscience. Routledge.
Factivity variation in episodic memory reports
Liefke & Werning, 2022 Liefke, K., & Werning, M. (in press). Factivity variation in episodic memory reports. In Y. Katsutoshi, T. Yasufumi, & K. Mineshima (Eds.), New Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Heidelberg:...
Mechanistic flexibility of the Retrosplenial Cortex enables its contribution to spatial cognition
Stacho & Manahan-Vaughan, 2022 Stacho M., & Manahan-Vaughan, D. (2022). Mechanistic flexibility of the Retrosplenial Cortex enables its contribution to spatial cognition. Trends In Neurosciences, 45(4), 284-296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2022.01.007
Constructing the Past: The Relevance of the Narrative Self in Modulating Episodic Memory
Newen, 2021 Dings, R., & Newen, A. (2021). Constructing the Past: The Relevance of the Narrative Self in Modulating Episodic Memory. Review of Philosophy and Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13164-021-00581-2
Profiles of animal consciousness: A species-sensitive, two-tier account to quality and distribution
Newen, 2023 Dung, L., & Newen, A. (2023). Profiles of animal consciousness: A species-sensitive, two-tier account to quality and distribution. Cognition, 235, 105409. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105409
Optogenetics reveals paradoxical network stabilizations in hippocampal CA1 and CA3
Cheng, 2023 de Jong, L. W., Nejad, M. M., Yoon, E., Cheng, S., & Diba, K. (2023). Optogenetics reveals paradoxical network stabilizations in hippocampal CA1 and CA3. Current Biology. 33(9), 1689-1703.
Exploring accidental triggers of smart speakers
Kolossa, 2022 Schönherr, L., Golla, M., Eisenhofer, T., Wiele, J., Kolossa, D., & Holz, T. (2022). Exploring accidental triggers of smart speakers. Computer Speech & Language, 73, 101328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csl.2021.101328
Verlangsamung und Stillstand: Über eine Störung des Zeitbewusstseins und ihre ethische Relevanz
Weber-Guskar, 2023 Weber-Guskar, E. (2023). Verlangsamung und Stillstand: Über eine Störung des Zeitbewusstseins und ihre ethische Relevanz. Zeitschrift für Praktische Philosophie, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.22613/zfpp/10.1.9
The embodied self, the pattern theory of self, and the predictive mind
Newen, 2018 Newen, A. (2018). The Embodied Self, the Pattern Theory of Self, and the Predictive Mind. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 2270. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02270
Factivity variation in episodic memory reports
Liefke & Werning, 2022 Liefke, K., & Werning, M. (in press). Factivity variation in episodic memory reports. In Y. Katsutoshi, T. Yasufumi, & K. Mineshima (Eds.), New Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Heidelberg:...
Understanding another person’s emotions – an interdisciplinary research approach
Brüne, 2018 Juckel, G., Heinisch, C., Welpinghus, A., & Brüne, M. (2018). Understanding Another Person’s Emotions-An Interdisciplinary Research Approach. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 9, 414. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00414
The patterns of problematic social media use (SMU) and their relationship with online flow, life satisfaction, depression, anxiety and stress symptoms in Lithuania and in Germany
Margraf, 2021 Brailovskaia, J., Truskauskaite-Kuneviciene, I., Kazlauskas, E., & Margraf, J. (2021). The patterns of problematic social media use (SMU) and their relationship with online flow, life satisfaction, depression, anxiety and stress symptoms in Lithuania...