Netherlands

The CONTROL IS UP metaphor is an embodied cognitive mechanism that helps western speakers reason about power relations in terms of vertical spatial organization, This paper explores its multimodal elaboration in visual manifestations of pyramidal structured arrangements and kinetic practices such as genuflexion in medieval miniatures in order to (i) demonstrate the role of multimodal representations of metaphors in reasoning, (ii) unveil power relationships between different societal strata.
34 miniatures (12th ct. Liber feudorum maior) were analised with the “multimodal genuflexion test” to describe and measure (CAD-software) distances between kinetic elements (facial/manual gestures, postures).
Results indicate that (i) power relations are not just vertically represented (kneeling &amp; bowing), physical distance between characters and position of hands are crucial, (ii) there is a significant positive correlation [U = 61,119; p = 0.003] between the power figure and the degree of “body bending” (bowing, kneeling) and hand distance.

**Authors:**

Iraide Ibarretxe Antuñano: University of Zaragoza; Andrea Ariño Bizarro: University of Zaragoza; David Moret Oliver: Real Estate Developer; María Teresa Moret-Oliver: University of Zaragoza; Guillermo Tomás Faci: Archivo

CogSci 2024

Kinetic elements in genuflexion correlate with the degree of power relations in societal strata: The CONTROL IS UP metaphor in medieval miniatures

The 46th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society was an in-person meeting held in Rotterdam, The Netherlands at the Postillion Hotel & Conference Centre.

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**Thursday, July 25** 
0900: [Keynote Speaker Morgan Barense on Enhancing real-world event memory](https://underline.io/events/465/sessions/17997/lecture/99084-dynamics-between-minds-and-the-environment) 
1000: [Gleitman Award Winner Isabelle Dautriche on Language Foundations: Insights from acquisition, communication, cognition, and more](https://underline.io/events/465/sessions/18000/lecture/99085-gleitman-talk) 
1415: [Invited Symposium: Dynamics between minds and the environment](https://underline.io/events/465/sessions?eventSessionId=18016&searchGroup=lecture) 
1700: [Rumelhart Prize Presentation Speaker Alison Gopnik on Exploit, explore, empower: Three ages and three intelligences](https://underline.io/events/465/sessions/18028/lecture/99161-rp1-rumelhart-prize-presentation) 

**Friday, July 26** 
0900: [C.L. de Carvalho-Heineken Prize Keynote Speaker Kia Nobre on Focusing in memory](https://underline.io/events/465/sessions/18035/lecture/99162-hp1-c-l-de-carvalho-heineken-prize-keynote-address) 
1030: [Rumelhart Symposium: Childhood as exploration](https://underline.io/events/465/sessions/18038/lecture/100346-childhood-as-exploration) 
1415: [Elman Prize Symposium](https://underline.io/events/465/sessions?eventSessionId=18053&searchGroup=lecture) 
1600: [Invited Symposium: Dynamics between minds](https://underline.io/events/465/sessions?eventSessionId=18065&searchGroup=lecture) 
1745: [Keynote Speaker Andrea E. Martin on Neural dynamics encode the structure and statistics of language](https://underline.io/events/465/sessions/18077/lecture/99271-neural-dynamics-encode-the-structure-and-statistics-of-language) 

**Saturday, July 27** 
0900: [Keynote Speaker Gregor Schöner on How higher cognition emerges from the dynamics of strongly interacting neural populations](https://underline.io/events/465/sessions/18083/lecture/99273-dynamics-within-the-mind) 
1000: [Glushko Talks](https://underline.io/events/465/sessions?eventSessionId=18086&searchGroup=lecture) 
1500: [Invited Symposium: Dynamics within minds](https://underline.io/events/465/sessions?eventSessionId=18100&searchGroup=lecture) 


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#### **Letter from the President**

Welcome to the 2024 Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society in Rotterdam! CogSci 2024 brings together a large community of cognitive scientists who have traveled here from around the world, as well as a smaller group of remote presenters. I would like to extend an especially warm welcome to our first-time CogSci meeting attendees, and hope that 
their experience inspires them to join our future meetings for many years to come.

I want to thank this year’s conference co-chairs, Larissa K Samuelson, Stefan Frank, Mariya Toneva, Allyson Mackey, and Eliot Hazeltine, for putting together an amazing series of invited talks and symposia around the theme of Dynamics of Cognition. The co-chairs also deserve credit for handling a record-breaking number of submissions and producing a truly exciting conference program 

Beyond the invited talks and symposia dedicated to this year’s conference theme, I would like to highlight the presentations and events honoring the 
Rumelhart, Elman, Gleitman and C .L . de Carvalho Heineken prize winners, including the Rumelhart reception on Thursday. As you may know, we are recording all of the invited talks and symposia, and all prize-winners’ talks, and will be making this content available after the conference. 

The Cognitive Science Society relies on the volunteer efforts of our Governing Board members who work on matters related to our membership; conference policies; diversity and inclusion, international, and outreach initiatives; prizes and much more. We welcome interest from Society members who would like to become more involved in what we do. The 
Society is deeply grateful to Rick Dale and Andrea Bender, who serve as editors of the two Society journals, Cognitive Science and Topics in Cognitive Science respectively. We especially acknowledge our editors’ generosity in donating their stipends each year to D&I and outreach efforts. 

This year’s Annual Meeting depends critically on the support of Marischal De Armond and his team at Podium Conference Specialists: Sharon Zwack, Cendrine De Vis, Sarah-Kate Burke, and Rachel Waller worked tirelessly to secure the venue and handled a multitude of logistical and organizational issues, from arranging coffee breaks and receptions to making sure that a huge number of posters fits comfortably into the available space. Finally, and importantly, I would like to acknowledge the Cognitive Science Society Executive Officer, Erica Wojcik, for managing the complex and ever expanding sphere of our Society’s activities.

I hope you enjoy this year’s meeting and the many different opportunities to engage with the vibrant community of cognitive scientists gathered here. I also hope you get a chance to explore the great city of Rotterdam with its many attractions, museums, restaurants and scenic views. If you’d like to talk more about our Society, or simply want to say hello, please stop by!

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**Anna Papafragou** 
President, Cognitive Science 
Society 2023-2024

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The 46th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society presents the latest research across cognitive science and highlights the theme of Cognition in Context.

The CONTROL IS UP metaphor is an embodied cognitive mechanism that helps western speakers reason about power relations in terms of vertical spatial organization, This paper explores its multimodal elaboration in visual manifestations of pyramidal structured arrangements and kinetic practices such as genuflexion in medieval miniatures in order to (i) demonstrate the role of multimodal representations of metaphors in reasoning, (ii) unveil power relationships between different societal strata.
34 miniatures (12th ct. Liber feudorum maior) were analised with the “multimodal genuflexion test” to describe and measure (CAD-software) distances between kinetic elements (facial/manual gestures, postures).
Results indicate that (i) power relations are not just vertically represented (kneeling & bowing), physical distance between characters and position of hands are crucial, (ii) there is a significant positive correlation [U = 61,119; p = 0.003] between the power figure and the degree of “body bending” (bowing, kneeling) and hand distance.

**Authors:**

Iraide Ibarretxe Antuñano: University of Zaragoza; Andrea Ariño Bizarro: University of Zaragoza; David Moret Oliver: Real Estate Developer; María Teresa Moret-Oliver: University of Zaragoza; Guillermo Tomás Faci: Archivo

poster

Humans have an intuitive understanding of music. We can predict the ensuing notes of a melody given the first few notes, but what exactly drives these predictions? Previous research on musical cognition explores probabilistic models of melody perception where a melody’s structure can be inferred given its surface. Other research theorizes about “musical forces”, forces that are analogous to how we represent the physical world, and which inform the way we form expectations about music. We propose a single model of melodic expectation that combines both ideas using a structured generative model and sequential Monte Carlo inference. The generative model formalizes these musical forces, and combined with inference, enables predicting the last note of a melody given the beginning notes. This model explains human performance in an existing dataset of melodic predictions. The model explains more variance than its ablations, and suggests an “intuitive physics” basis for melodic expectation.

**Authors:**

Breanna K. Nguyen: Yale University; Ilker Yildirim: Yale University

An Intuitive Physics Approach to Modeling Melodic Expectation

How do humans infer the structural interpretations of a piece of music from its basic elements? Since recursive elaboration is an important structural principle in several musical traditions, generative probabilistic models are a useful tool for characterizing musical interpretation as a probabilistic inference problem. However, due to the high degree of ambiguity and combinatorial complexity of even short excerpts of music, exact inference (e.g. finding the "best" structural interpretation of a piece) is usually not feasible. The present work proposes a hybrid approach to this problem. An explicit and interpretable probabilistic top-down model is complemented with a heuristic parser that reverses the generative process in a greedy fashion and adapts to feedback from the top-down model via deep reinforcement learning. The combination of these two models bridges the gap between explicit but slow top-down knowledge and immediate musical intuitions on various levels of musicianship.

**Authors:**

Christoph Finkensiep: University of Amsterdam

Inferring Musical Structure - A Hybrid Approach Combining Probabilistic Models and Reinforcement Learning

When completing a task for a prolonged period, our ability to sustain attention fluctuates over time. Accordingly, in mice, disengaged behaviour has temporal autocorrelation (i.e., ‘disengagement states’), with lapses clustering in time, rather than occurring randomly. In this disengaged state, mice make more errors and provide responses biased towards one side. What neural and physiological processes trigger the transition into, and out of, disengagement states? Here, we investigated the role of pupil-linked arousal. We used a public dataset of 140 mice performing a perceptual decision-making task, including extracellular recordings alongside behavioural and pupil responses. We applied hidden Markov models to identify engagement states based on response times. Preliminary results show that disengaged trials are associated with larger and more variable baseline pupil, and suggest that pupil size changes precede state transitions. These findings will provide a starting point for exploring the cortical, subcortical and neuromodulatory processes preceding task (dis)engagement.

**Authors:**

Philippa A Johnson: Leiden University; Sander Nieuwenhuis: Leiden University; Anne Urai: Leiden University

Pupil dynamics preceding switches in task engagement

Pupil dilation has been associated with increased mental effort, which can be modulated by external sensory stimulation as well as internal cognition. Underlying a cognitive task are multiple cognitive processes which can be stimulus-driven, goal-driven or spontaneous. However, what remains unknown is how these processes correlate with pupil size modulations and whether it is possible to dissociate their individual effects. To answer this, we employed behavioral and pupil data from two cognitive tasks performed in internal and external attention conditions, where stimulus-driven attention demands were manipulated for the same set of tasks. Using model-based analysis, we were able to dissociate within conditions, how individual processes affect pupil and also compare their effects between conditions. We made two important and novel findings – first, for each condition we were able to dissociate stimulus-driven and goal-driven effects. Second, when compared between conditions, we found distinct stimulus-driven attention-based effects but similar goal-directed task-based effects.

**Authors:**

Adarsh Palaskar: Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur; Shilpa Dang: Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur

How pupil tracks cognitive processes underlying internally- and externally-directed attention tasks

A behavioural and two EEG hyper-scanning experiments are presented which investigate how predictive processing modulates the way interlocutors align behaviourally and at the level of the brain (Hasson, 2012; Pickering & Garrod, 2007). In the experiments interlocutors engaged in dyadic interactions performing a semi-controlled semantic association game and where the p predictability of the semantic associations was manipulated. The behavioural results showed that both interlocutors were around 400 ms faster in the predictable versus non-predictable conditions The results of the two EEG studies aim at demonstrating (1) whether we observe brain-to-brain synchronisation between the interlocutors at the level of word semantics, and (2) whether prediction enhances this synchronisation. To our knowledge, this is the first study to directly demonstrate prediction effects in an interaction.

**Authors:**

Emilia Kerr: Aix-Marseille University; Kristof Strijkers: CNRS & Aix-Marseille University; Benjamin Morillon: Aix-Mareille University

Does prediction drive neural alignment in conversation?

The brain uses contextual information and prior knowledge to predict future content during
language comprehension. Previously, it has been demonstrated that contextual word
embeddings, derived from Large Language Models, can be linearly mapped onto brain data. Recently, Goldstein et al. (2022) have used this method to study neural signatures of
predictive processing. They found that predictive signatures of an upcoming word can be
observed in its pre-onset signal, measured with ECoG during listening to naturalistic
narratives . In the fMRI domain, Caucheteux et al. (2023) have shown that including
embeddings of multiple upcoming words improves the model’s fit to brain data. This has
been interpreted as an indica4on that the brain encodes long-range predictions. In this study we examine whether the same predictive information can be found in MEG data, a signal with lower signal-to-noise ratio than EcOG and higher temporal resolution than fMRI. We show that: 1) The signatures of pre-onset predictions about the upcoming word are also detectable in MEG data similarly to ECoG and 2) Contrary to what has been observed in the fMRI data, including future embeddings does not improve brain encoding in MEG signals. These findings provide a novel avenue for studying predictive processing during language comprehension with naturalistic stimuli using MEG signals.

**Authors:**

Sahel Azizpour: Donders institute for brain, cognition and behaviour; Britta U. Westner: Donders institute for brain, cognition and behaviour; Umut Guclu: Donders institute for brain, cognition and behaviour; Linda Geerligs: Donders institute for brain, cognition and behaviour

What MEG can tell us about predictive processing during language comprehension

Studies have reported that prestimulus brain oscillations guide perceptual experiences during AV speech perception. However, 'what' features in such oscillations drive perception remains unknown. In this EEG study (n=18), we investigated how prestimulus periodic oscillations and aperiodic components influence the perception of the McGurk illusion on a trial-by-trial basis. Using logistic mixed-effect models, we determined the topology of spectral markers that predict the brain response to illusory perception. We found lower levels of alpha (8-12 Hz) and beta (15-30 Hz) band oscillations over parieto-occipital sensors, lower aperiodic offset values over parietal-temporal sensors, and a lower global effect of exponent over the scalp that predicted the response to McGurk illusion. We conclude that the predominant source of variations in the prestimulus oscillatory state is manifested by aperiodic background activity and that variations in these oscillations and aperiodic activity, account for inter-trial and inter-individual variability in perception of the McGurk illusion.

**Authors:**

Vinsea A V Singh: National Brain Research Centre; Vinodh G. Kumar: Penn State College of Medicine; Dr. Arpan Banerjee: National Brain Research Centre (NBRC); Dr. Dipanjan Roy: Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur

Prestimulus Periodic and Aperiodic Neural Activity Shapes McGurk Perception

Video game competition, called esports, is an intriguing subject for the investigation of psychological skill differences between players; such skills are more weighted toward achieving optimal performance than physical skills are. We looked for differences in psychological skills between advanced and intermediate players and the kind of psychological skill that is critical for defining a player’s skill level. We measured the physiological states of players in esports matches and found that the temporal heart rate pattern during competitive matches was highly correlated among advanced players, rather than among intermediate players or players of different levels. Additionally, physiological synchrony among advanced players decreased under sparring situations in which no winner or loser was determined. These results suggest that the unique superior psychological skills of advanced players are motivation control, which is characterized by the ability to maintain and demonstrate a high motivation to win.

**Authors:**

Ken Watanabe: NTT Communication Science Laboratories; Naoki Saijo: NTT Communication Science Laboratories; Sorato Minami: Kashino Diverse Brain Research Laboratory; Makio Kashino: NTT Communication Science Laboratories

Superior Psychological Skills of Advanced Players in Esports: An Examination of Physiological Synchrony

Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation has proven effective in modulating parasympathetic autonomic nervous system activity and various cognitive functions. 
This study investigated the effects of transauricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on body ownership and interoception in healthy subjects using a within-subjects experimental design (active taVNS/sham). 
The rubber hand illusion (RHI) and the Heartbeat Counting Task (HCT) were employed. 
Cardiac activity was recorded throughout the procedure to measure physiological indices of heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV).
Ownership for the fake hand was observed in both active and sham stimulation, as indicated by drift and scores on illusion-relevant items (Q1-Q3). 
HR and HRV showed no variations between synchronous/asynchronous RHI or between stimulation conditions. Active taVNS resulted in decreased interoceptive meta-awareness.
Individuals with lower interoceptive abilities exhibited heightened susceptibility to RHI during active taVNS, possibly due to perturbation of interoceptive signals and increased reliance on exteroceptive signals in constructing body representation.

**Authors:**

Angelica Scuderi: Sapienza University of Rome; Maria Luisa De Martino: Sapienza University of Rome; Erik Leemhuis: Sapienza University of Rome; Mariella Pazzaglia: Sapienza University of Rome

Know your body by heart: a taVNS study on body awareness

Collective improvisation is remarkable. When people
improvise—whether dancing, making music, or even just
conversing—they coordinate their behavior while exploring
abstract spaces of movements, sounds, and ideas. How do improvisers
navigate these abstract spaces? One possibility is
that collective improvisation builds on foraging strategies used
in the physical world. Here, we investigate the dynamics of an
especially complex and abstract form of collective improvisation:
professional free jazz. We quantify how ensembles navigate
a space of sounds. We find that these dynamics change
when an improvising ensemble shifts from one sonic ‘soundworld’
to another. Before a sonic shift, ensembles engage in
widespread exploration; after, they quickly shift to focused exploitation
of the new sound. This resembles a strategy used
by foraging animals known as Area Restricted Search. While
collective improvisation pushes at our cognitive limits, these
results suggest that it builds on evolutionarily-ancient strategies
with a much more mundane origin.

**Authors:**

Tevin Williams: University of California, Merced; Matthew Setzler: Meta; Minje Kim: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Rachel Ryskin: University of California, Merced; Michael Spivey: UC Merced; Tyler Marghetis: University of California, Merced

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