Petia Kojouharova
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petiastk.bsky.social
Petia Kojouharova
@petiastk.bsky.social
Cognitive psychologist. Topics include numerical cognition, automatic visual change detection, and how cognitive processes change with age. she/her

For the fandom: I love seeing your content, but I will not be posting.
Reposted by Petia Kojouharova
Headed by our wonderful PostDoc Maristella Lunardon in cooperation with Christina Artemenko, @serenarossi.bsky.social and @krzysztofcipora.bsky.social we observed that math attitudes were more important for university choice than math anxiety.

nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirec...
nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 15, 2025 at 11:58 PM
Reposted by Petia Kojouharova
Our new preprint is out!

Across 473 participants, we found no sex differences in implicit statistical learning — a core mechanism of predictive processing.

The predictive brain appears remarkably universal.

doi.org/10.1101/2025...

#neuroscience
#learning
#PsychSciSky
#neuroskyence
No sex differences in predictive processing
Statistical learning, defined as the implicit extraction of environmental regularities, is recognized as a universal and evolutionarily conserved mechanism, and constitutes a fundamental aspect of pre...
doi.org
November 5, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Reposted by Petia Kojouharova
New study
Our team shows that statistical learning & inhibitory control cooperate during behavior.

A flexible brain optimizes both automatic & controlled processes together - not either/or.

Preprint:Cooperative interaction between statistical learning and inhibitory control
doi.org/10.31234/osf...
OSF
doi.org
November 5, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Reposted by Petia Kojouharova
New paper on the nature of order processing deficits in developmental dyscalculia! 💙

Shared first-authorship w/ Dr. Natalia Dubinkina!

Open access: doi.org/10.1016/j.je...
November 1, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Reposted by Petia Kojouharova
New preprint!
ADHD-like traits don’t just affect inhibition or learning — they reshape their interaction.
A key problem in neuroscience is studying functions in isolation, but cognition emerges from their interplay.
doi.org/10.1101/2025...

#neuroscience
#learning
#PsychSciSky
#neuroskyence
ADHD-like traits reshape the balance between inhibitory control and predictive processes
Adaptive behavior relies on a dynamic balance between flexible, goal-directed control and efficient, automatic processes. This equilibrium is often disrupted in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorde...
doi.org
October 29, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Reposted by Petia Kojouharova
The SNARC effect may work only with symbolic numbers. It seems to work with nonsymbolic numbers when the task requires symbolic responses, such as "smaller"-"larger", but not without them. doi.org/10.1037/xhp0... or www.thenumberworks.org/discrete_sem...
October 29, 2025 at 9:45 AM
Reposted by Petia Kojouharova
Our new preprint is online.
People who experienced more childhood unpredictability show faster implicit statistical learning in adulthood.
Supports the “hidden talents” view of adversity.

Read here 👉 doi.org/10.1101/2025...

#neuroscience
#learning
#PsychSciSky
#neuroskyence
Faster adult implicit probabilistic statistical learning following childhood adversity
According to deficit models, early life adversity disrupts normal development, leading to long-term emotional, behavioural, and cognitive difficulties. However, some evidence suggests that certain psy...
doi.org
October 24, 2025 at 10:45 AM
Reposted by Petia Kojouharova
Can Only Meat Machines be Conscious? New paper in Trends in Cognitive Sciences, free download until November 26 with this URL: authors.elsevier.com/a/1luwh4sIRv...
authors.elsevier.com
October 8, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Reposted by Petia Kojouharova
Excited to share our latest paper! We show that autistic traits are associated with a different speed-accuracy strategy when the environment changes. This highlights the power of a dimensional approach over rigid categorical views.
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
#Autism #Learning #StatisticalLearning
Autistic traits relate to speed/accuracy trade-off but not statistical learning and updating - Scientific Reports
Scientific Reports - Autistic traits relate to speed/accuracy trade-off but not statistical learning and updating
doi.org
August 31, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Reposted by Petia Kojouharova
Our new paper is out!
How do executive functions shape our ability to rewire habits / update predictive models?
✔️ Better inhibition = easier habit change
❌ Strong semantic fluency = harder to update old patterns because of the long-term memory access.

doi.org/10.1038/s415...
The interplay between executive functions and updating predictive representations - Scientific Reports
Scientific Reports - The interplay between executive functions and updating predictive representations
doi.org
August 20, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Reposted by Petia Kojouharova
Our new preprint is out!
We go beyond studying goal-directed & habitual control in isolation — using an unsupervised learning approach to see how they interact.
OC tendencies tip the balance toward rigid habits over flexible goals.
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
#OCD #PsychSciSky
#StatsSky
#neuroskyence
Obsessive-Compulsive Tendencies Shift the Balance Between Competitive Neurocognitive Processes
Theoretical models of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) propose that its symptoms stem from an imbalance between habitual and goal-directed processes, marked by a bias toward habitual behavior and d...
doi.org
August 15, 2025 at 10:33 AM
Reposted by Petia Kojouharova
Our latest research on mind wandering just got covered by Scientific American — check it out!
Do you actually learn more when you let your mind wander? A study suggests you might be better at implicit learning when your mind is elsewhere.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/when...
When Letting Your Mind Wander Helps You Learn
Zoning out reveals hidden patterns in tasks
www.scientificamerican.com
June 11, 2025 at 4:54 AM
Reposted by Petia Kojouharova
Our recent study on mind wandering and local sleep has received additional media coverage.
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/expe...

#predictiveprocessing #Neuroscience #statisticallearning #cognition
A Wandering Mind Improves Inferential Learning
Leverage the power of the spontaneously wandering mind to enhance learning, problem-solving, and creativity.
www.psychologytoday.com
May 11, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Reposted by Petia Kojouharova
Reliability paradox. It is not a paradox. osf.io/mu896_v1
OSF
osf.io
May 5, 2025 at 9:45 AM
Reposted by Petia Kojouharova
New paper!
How does the brain retrieve probabilistic representations? Can we enhance this process? Our latest study says yes! We show that DLPFC intervention improves access to representations built up through statistical learning.
doi.org/10.1093/cerc...
#PsychSciSky
#neuroskyence
#neuroscience
Enhancing retrieval capacity of the predictive brain through dorsolateral prefrontal cortex intervention
Abstract. Extracting spatial or temporal patterns across experiences is essential for skill acquisition and predictive processes. The prefrontal cortex pla
doi.org
February 5, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Reposted by Petia Kojouharova
Did you know we spend 30–50% of our waking hours mind-wandering? Often seen as a distraction, our latest research reveals its surprising benefits. Mind-wandering boosts implicit statistical learning—helping us detect patterns, key for skills like language learning.

www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
Mind wandering enhances statistical learning
Psychology
www.cell.com
January 21, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Reposted by Petia Kojouharova


So, who is coming to #SIPS2025?

Don't miss it! It will be the 10th SIPS, so we will come together to evaluate the reform and gather new momentum to improve science.

Day 0: Sightseeing, hiking
dinner: on a boat on the Danube

Let others know that you are coming to Budapest so they can meet you!
January 17, 2025 at 10:05 AM
Reposted by Petia Kojouharova
Has the scientific reform achieved its goal? Did it go too far? Not far enough?

Register and join us this Wednesday in the #SIPS Early-reformers discussion where I will chat with Simine Vazire, Brian Nosek, Dorothy Bishop, Joe Simmons, and Leif Nelson about these questions.
bsky.app/profile/impr...
In celebration of SIPS's 10th annual meeting, please join us for a virtual warm-up event on December 18, 2024! Early reformers will discuss challenges and improvements in psychological science. Find out more and register: improvingpsych.org/sips-2025-pr...
December 17, 2024 at 7:49 AM
Reposted by Petia Kojouharova
Do autistic traits influence the speed-accuracy trade-off and predictive learning? Find the answer in our new preprint!

osf.io/preprints/os...

#PsychSciSky
#metasci
#StatsSky
#sleepscience
#sleepresearch
#neuroskyence
OSF
osf.io
November 19, 2024 at 8:44 AM
Reposted by Petia Kojouharova
A new article is out!
We investigated memory consolidation processes in autism and neurotypicals with autism traits.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Redirecting
doi.org
November 6, 2024 at 9:43 AM
Reposted by Petia Kojouharova
New research out! Our study explores how autistic & schizotypal traits similarly impact mentalizing and adult attachment difficulties. Social support in adolescence can be key to better outcomes! #Autism #Schizophrenia #MentalHealth #Research

bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
Autistic and schizotypal traits exhibit similarities in their impact on mentalization and adult attachment impairments: a cross-sectional study - BMC Psychiatry
Background Deficits in mentalizing and attachment occur in the autism and schizophrenia spectrum, and their extended traits in the general population. Parental attachment and the broader social enviro...
bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com
October 9, 2024 at 8:32 AM
Reposted by Petia Kojouharova
Young children demonstrate superior abilities in statistical learning and predictive processing. Check out our latest preprint: osf.io/preprints/ps...
OSF
osf.io
September 14, 2024 at 9:03 AM
Reposted by Petia Kojouharova
Excited to share our new article! We found that probability-based statistical learning is linked to local, short-range connections, while rule-based, higher-order learning relies on long-range connections.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Similarity of brain activity patterns during learning and subsequent resting state predicts memory consolidation
Spontaneous reactivation of brain activity from learning to a subsequent off-line period has been implicated as a neural mechanism underlying memory c…
www.sciencedirect.com
August 14, 2024 at 11:32 AM
Reposted by Petia Kojouharova
Are children better at statistical learning and predictive processing? You might assume this has been extensively researched, but this question can only be adequately addressed through longitudinal studies, which are quite rare. Our latest research aims to fill this gap.
osf.io/preprints/ps...
OSF
osf.io
August 6, 2024 at 7:59 AM