Recent News

Conference Homepage: https://predcommlab.github.io/symposium-2026/#about
Upcoming Events
<i>Philosophy</i> <br>Megan Peters (UCL) & Hojjat Azimi Asrari (UCL)<br><b>How Brains Build Higher Order Representations of Uncertainty</b>
<i>Biopsychology</i> <br>Anika Kuckertz (Heinrich Heine Universität Düssledorf) & Kai Benning (FZ Juelich)) <br><b>TBA</b>
<i>Philosophy</i> <br>Nathan Wildman (Tilburg)<br><b>Fictional virtual actions</b>
<i>Cognitive Psychology</i> <br>Leander Fester (RUB) <br><b>Freezing in humans? Postural sway as a readout of conditioned fear</b>
<i>Philosophy</i> <br>Krystyna Bielecka (University of Warsaw) & Marcin Milkowski (Polish Academy of Sciences)<br><b>Contentful Skills: Procedural Memory and the Representational Challenge to Non-Representational Cognition</b>
<i>Philosophy</i> <br>Henry Taylor (University of Birmingham) <br><b>TBA</b>
Relevant Publications
For full list of selected publications, see the publications page
Stress, path integration, and the entorhinal cortex
Loops all the way up: Recurrency as an implementation-first primitive for consciousness
The effects of pre-extinction stress vs. physical exercise on contextual retrieval and generalization
The role of episodic memory in causal reasoning with counterfactuals: A perspective from predictive processing and trace minimalism
Selective spatial attention to competing speakers in azimuth and depth: Evidence from real and virtual environments
Reading media and multitasking: effects on comprehension and metacomprehension when reading multiple texts
Accuracy of self-control judgments by informants: can others tell where and how much we care, struggle, and succeed?
Representational dynamics during extinction of fear memories in the human brain
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).
What is self-control? A discussion of unresolved issues.
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, …
Neurite density but not myelination of specific fiber tracts links polygenic scores to general intelligence
Abstract White matter is fundamental for efficient information transfer and thus crucial for intelligence. Previous studies demonstrated associations between fractional anisotropy and intelligence, but it remains unclear whether this relation is due to greater axon density, parallel, homogenous fiber orientation …
Epigenetic markers of disease risk and psychotherapy response in anxiety disorders – a longitudinal analysis of the DNA methylome
Abstract Epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation are hypothesized to play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of anxiety disorders and to predict as well as relate to treatment response. An epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) (Illumina MethylationEPIC BeadChip) was performed …
Extinction context is learned by pigeons, not given by the environment
Abstract The saying “context is everything” underscores the importance of interpreting things, be they quotes, events, actions, or stimuli, not in isolation but in the light of a bigger picture – their context. This is evident even in fundamental forms …
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 …
Representational dynamics during extinction of fear memories in the human brain
Abstract Extinction learning—the suppression of a previously acquired fear response—is critical for adaptive behaviour and core for understanding the aetiology and treatment of anxiety disorders. Electrophysiological studies in rodents have revealed critical roles of theta (4–12 Hz) oscillations in amygdala and …

