Int. J. Cogn. Sci., Volume 2, Issue 1 (March 2026) – 7 articles

Academic writing is often perceived as unfamiliar and overly formal, partly due to a lack of explicit cognition and instruction regarding coherence. This article contends that such perceptions obscure a fundamental connection between everyday reasoning and the epistemic reasoning characteristic of academic writing. The inductive and deductive logics of reasoning that underpin the coherence of academic genres are closely aligned with commonsense reasoning structures that students routinely use, such as asking and answering questions, inferring explanations, forming categories, and recognizing patterns. These practices are all critical for students to understand the central role of coherence in academic writing. Drawing on writing studies, cognitive psychology, and research methodology, this critique positions coherence as a central yet underarticulated concern in the instruction of academic writing. It presents a pedagogical framework in which coherence is understood and taught as the alignment between commonsense and epistemic logics of reasoning. Two classroom-based examples—a quantitative questionnaire excerpt and a qualitative narrative reanalysis—illustrate how coherence can be taught through reasoning structures, conceptual alignment, the integration of inquiry logics, and interpretation in academic writing. This pedagogical model scaffolds the steps needed to integrate commonsense and epistemic reasoning so that students can develop core skills of coherence for epistemic competence, including explicit command of logical and reasoning processes, genre-based analysis, conceptual mapping of inquiry-driven writing tasks. Full article

This study investigated whether resting-state EEG coherence in the alpha, beta, and theta frequency bands predicts working memory performance in healthy middle-aged adults (N = 27, aged 49–64). Unlike prior research focusing on young adults or clinical populations, we examined the relationship between EEG coherence during eyes-open rest and performance on a range of working memory tasks, including updating (n-back task), switching, Stroop, and complex operation span (OSPAN task). Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that demographic variables (age, education) were generally not significant predictors, except for education in the updating task. Inclusion of EEG coherence significantly increased explained variance: alpha, beta, and theta coherence predicted performance in the updating task, while alpha and beta coherence predicted outcomes in the OSPAN task. Specifically, higher alpha coherence was associated with better performance, whereas lower theta and beta coherence predicted superior outcomes, suggesting enhanced neural flexibility and efficient cognitive resource allocation. EEG coherence did not significantly predict performance in the switching or Stroop tasks, likely because these tasks rely more on rapid reactive responses and local neural activity not captured by resting-state synchronization. These findings indicate that resting-state EEG coherence may serve as a frequency-specific neurophysiological marker of working memory in middle age. Future research should explore longitudinal changes and potential interventions, such as neurofeedback, to modulate coherence and enhance cognitive function. Full article

Neurocognitive and metacognitive impairments are well-documented in schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs). However, the relationship between these two domains remains underexplored, despite increasing interest in their combined impact on recovery and functional outcomes. Neurocognition refers to processes such as attention, memory, and executive functioning, and the neural systems that support these processes, both of which are frequently abnormal in SSDs and contribute to significant functional difficulties. Metacognition, in contrast, refers to the capacity to reflect on and integrate thoughts, emotions, and experiences into a coherent understanding of oneself and others. Although both domains are often studied in isolation, emerging evidence suggests a potential interdependence between neurocognition and metacognition, particularly regarding their influence on outcome. This scoping review explores empirical studies examining associations between neurocognition and metacognition in individuals with SSDs, specifically in the context of functional outcomes. We aim to clarify how these domains interact and explore their combined implications for recovery-oriented interventions and clinical practice. Findings may inform more integrated models of cognition and guide the development of dual-targeted treatment approaches to improve functional recovery in SSDs. Full article

The goal of the current review is to present a general review of the literature regarding the relationship between attention control and working memory, particularly focusing on how the two concepts are defined and experimentally measured. We also hope to convince the reader that working memory, as a broad concept, should be viewed as a hierarchical model comprising working memory capacity and attention control. In the extant literature, researchers have struggled with disentangling the two highly correlated constructs. In particular, attention control has been difficult to define because many papers use the same term to refer to different interpretations of the construct, or simply include it as part of working memory more broadly. Furthermore, multiple definitions of working memory have been presented and, as often as not, no definition is provided when researchers include working memory in their investigations. We hope to at least provide a useful overview of these multifaceted constructs and perhaps a usable framework for studying working memory and attention. Full article

In the current work, we examine whether height perception is determined by head orientation. Our previous work has found that upward head orientation is overestimated by the same factor as downward head orientation, and this is consistent with the distance by which targets you must look up at are overestimated. In Experiment 1, participants looked at two targets from two different distances. Height estimates were significantly correlated to head orientation. Head orientation also significantly changed height estimates, with the closer distance (i.e., higher head orientation) yielding greater distance estimates, even when controlling for target height. In Experiment 2, we controlled for distance by having participants estimate the height of two targets while sitting down or standing. Height estimates were again significantly correlated with head orientation. Sitting or standing (i.e., manipulating head orientation) changed height estimates, with sitting yielding greater distance estimates, again, even when controlling for target height. Our work shows that head orientation is strongly positively correlated to the perception of height and that changing head orientation leads to concomitant changes in perception of height. The common scale expansion for upward and downward head orientation leads to corresponding distance estimates that reliably predict how we spatially map the environment. Full article

Background: Studies on the association between cognitive dysfunction and criminality have shown that individuals in prison, particularly repeat offenders and those convicted of violent crimes, tend to exhibit difficulties in cognitive, social, and emotional functioning. The objective of this study was to evaluate and characterize cognitive and executive functioning of incarcerated individuals, while also seeking to understand the impact of incarceration on executive functions. Methods: The sample consisted of 30 participants at various stages of their sentences. Neuropsychological assessments were conducted using cognitive screening tests and tests directed to assess executive functions and decision making. Results: Neurocognitive performance was within normative ranges. Selective associations between sentence duration and specific executive functions were observed, suggesting a relationship with criminal severity indicators. Decision-making also appeared impaired, as no evidence of learning was found and deck selection focused on more disadvantageous decks. Conclusions: These findings a relationship between indicators of criminal severity and specific aspects of executive functioning and decision making, rather than a generalized cognitive impairment. However, these conclusions require further research under this topic in larger and more diverse samples. Full article

Numerous attempts to define art have been made from antiquity to the present, yet historical overviews often adopt a Eurocentric (and American-centric) perspective focused mainly on culturally dependent aesthetic approaches. As a universal social and cultural phenomenon, art resists center-periphery models. The cognitive turn reshaped art theory by reconsidering art as a cognitive dimension of humanity. Art has no limits on who can create or enjoy it. The ability to use and understand metaphor, for instance, demonstrates everyday human artistic cognition. The analysis relies on both field research (case studies) and academic literature; it argues for a revised theoretical frame for defining art and organizes it into a dynamic model of three main vectors: (1) art as communication (including art as agency); (2) art as creation; and (3) art as experience (involving both audience and artist). The model can incorporate the study of emotions into the third criterion while remaining open to both materialist and non-materialist approaches. Rather than offering a new definition, the study integrates the perspective of cognitive anthropology, cognitive semantics, and the anthropology of art in order to broaden understanding. Instead of searching for special aesthetic or economic values, these three dimensions of art appear more universal. A pragmatic analysis of how art “works” in individuals and groups provides a useful model for cognitive sciences. Instead of binary codes, it is a vectorial model, a 3D space for expressing family resemblance, since there is no common denominator (prototype) for all kinds of art. Full article