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Conference Homepage: https://predcommlab.github.io/symposium-2026/#about
Upcoming Events
<i>Philosophy</i> <br>Lukas Kob (Czech Academy of Sciences) <br><b>Holistic Representations in Large Language Models</b>
Workshop:<br><b>Perception-Thought Transitions</b>
<i>Psychology</i> <br>Michael Levin (Tufts University) <br><b>Model systems for diverse intelligence research: technological approach to minds everywhere</b>
<i>Biopsychology</i> <br>Merel Jager (RUB) <br><b>Reality, survivorship bias, smooth sailing & the paradox of individuality</b>
<i>Psychology</i> <br>Katja Langer (RUB) <br><b>Accute stress effects on flexible emotion regulation choices: The moderation of working memory capacity </b>
<i>Philosophy</i> <br>Gualtiero Piccinini (University of Missouri) <br><b>Thought as an Inner Navigation: A Neurocognitive Architecture for Propositional Thought</b>
Relevant Publications
For full list of selected publications, see the publications page
Representational dynamics during extinction of fear memories in the human brain
Enhancing metacomprehension accuracy and regulation decisions in writing from multiple texts: The role of rubrics
Selective spatial attention to competing speakers in azimuth and depth: Evidence from real and virtual environments
Learning What to Remember: Semantic Attention in Generative Episodic Memory Model. In Proceedings of the International Joint Conference on Neural Networks (IJCNN).
Fayyaz, Z., Rathjens, J., Cheng, S., & Wiskott, L.. (2026). Learning What to Remember: Semantic Attention in Generative Episodic Memory Model. In Proceedings of the International Joint Conference on Neural Networks (IJCNN).
Accuracy of self-control judgments by informants: can others tell where and how much we care, struggle, and succeed?
Neural subspace reorganization reflects value-based decision-making
From Gut Feeling to Gray Matter: Mapping Defecation Urgency in Irritable Bowel Syndrome
The effects of pre-extinction stress vs. physical exercise on contextual retrieval and generalization
Single neuron responses in NCL, MVL, and Wulst during the observation of videos of conspecifics support population feature coding
Predictive acoustical processing in human cortical layers
An Experimental Investigation of the Causal Role of Mental Imagery in the Experience of Involuntary Memories
Involuntary memories are thought to affect emotion, cognition, and behaviour, and it is often assumed that their impact is amplified when they are rich in mental imagery. However, this assumption has yet to be directly investigated. The current study tested …
When is learning “effortful”? Scrutinizing the concept of mental effort in cognitively-oriented research from a motivational perspective
Positive mental health predicts amelioration of suicidal ideation in patients undergoing cognitive behavioral therapy
Background Positive mental health has been shown to confer resilience against suicidal ideation and behavior. Yet, studies on treatment seeking populations are rare. The aim of the present study was to investigate, whether PMH predicts the amelioration of suicidal ideation …
Prior knowledge activation as preparation prior to instruction: does the coverage of relevant prior knowledge affect learning?
Abstract Two-phase instructional designs such as Productive and Vicarious Failure employ preparatory activities before explicit instruction. It is assumed that during this preparatory activity, students need to activate their prior knowledge in order to be prepared for subsequent instruction. However, …
Out of touch? How trauma shapes the experience of social touch – neural and endocrine pathways
Reference in memories from perceptual and non-perceptual experiences: a non-disjunctivist account including vicarious, oneiric and fictional remembering
Abstract The paper argues for a non-disjunctivist account of reference in episodic memory. Our account provides a uniform theory of reference for episodic memories that root in veridical and non-veridical experiences. It is independent from the particular mechanisms that subserve …
Posttraining noradrenergic stimulation maintains hippocampal engram reactivation and episodic-like specificity of remote memory
Abstract Recent findings indicate that noradrenergic arousal maintains long-term episodic-like specificity of memory. However, the neural mechanism of how norepinephrine can alter the temporal dynamics of systems consolidation to maintain hippocampus dependency of remote memory is currently unknown. Memories are …
The multidimensional profile methodology (MPM) for comparative cognition: towards a universal strategy of understanding animal minds
Abstract How can we develop an adequate scientific understanding of the minds of nonhuman animals? We argue for a methodology based on multi-dimensional profile accounts. Such accounts are already used for the comparative study of norm cognition, consciousness, empathy and …

