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thinker tank
@thinker-tank.net
We are a collective of authors and researchers specializing in cognition, mental states, and psychology.
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Tenzin Trepp just released a new paper on a radical theory of time: "Existential Realism: A Distinct Ontological Framework Beyond Presentism". This framework goes beyond presentism and offers a fresh ontological lens.
📄 t.ly/YMPnT

#Philosophy
#Metaphysics
#Time
#Ontology
Existential Realism: A Distinct Ontological Framework Beyond Presentism
This paper introduces Existential Realism as a novel ontological framework in metaphysics that offers a rigorously technical alternative to presentism. In contrast to standard presentism's claim t...
t.ly
July 23, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Author Spotlight: Tenzin Trepp
Philosopher, visual cognitiologist & Stoic thinker. Exploring perception, meaning & the mind in bold new ways.
🧠📘 Discover more:
thinker-tank.net/en/news/auth...
July 4, 2025 at 10:00 AM
📣 Jetzt auch als Hörbuch!
Mein Buch über kognitiven Konstruktivismus ist ab sofort ungekürzt auf Spotify (t.ly/xx0J8), Google Play (t.ly/-EOgl), Apple Books & vielen weiteren Plattformen verfügbar. Reinhören lohnt sich – verständlich, fundiert und jetzt auch zum Hören. 🎧📚
FABRICA MUNDI: Der Aufbau des Subjekts im kognitiven Konstruktivismus
Tenzin C. Trepp · Audiobook
t.ly
June 18, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Reposted by thinker tank
Excited to share our new work by @annaborghi.bsky.social @claudiamazzuca.bsky.social and @ideeverdi.bsky.social! We dive into abstract concepts in social interaction—exploring vagueness, knowledge outsourcing, cross-cultural variation, and the role of LLMs.
rdcu.be/elbbT
Very happy to share this Perspective w/@claudiamazzuca.bsky.social, @ideeverdi.bsky.social.
on abstract concepts and social interaction. We address vagueness and the relation of abstract concepts to knowledge outsourcing, crosscultural differences, and LLMs. @ballabrome.bsky.social
rdcu.be/elbbT
The role of social interaction in the formation and use of abstract concepts
Nature Reviews Psychology - The capability to use abstract concepts such as ‘justice’ is a key part of human cognition. In this Perspective, Borghi et al. highlight distinct levels of...
rdcu.be
May 8, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Reposted by thinker tank
At #APS25DC, @randicmartin.bsky.social and other scientists will address fundamental questions on how LLMs relate to human language and thought.
Investigating Human-Like Processing in Large Language Models: A Glimpse into Findings from Early-Career Researchers
Scientists address fundamental questions on how LLMs relate to human language and thought.
www.psychologicalscience.org
May 12, 2025 at 3:54 PM
🧠 We just launched Thinker Tank — a new platform for exploring cognition, mental states, and psychology. Dive into interdisciplinary reflections and join the dialogue. 🚀 thinker-tank.net #ThinkerTank #Cognition #Interdisciplinary
May 9, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Reposted by thinker tank
A detailed map of mouse brain cell structure and connections, offering insights into how they relate to activity in the mouse brain, is revealed in a package of papers published Nature and @naturemethods.bsky.social.

#Neuroscience #Neuroskyence
Biggest brain map ever details huge number of neurons and their activity
3D reconstruction is the first to overlay neuronal activity on a large-scale map of brain cells.
spklr.io
April 10, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Reposted by thinker tank
Each individual is unique, and so is their brain activity. Using fMRI and brain fingerprinting during anaesthesia, Luppi et al. find that human brains become temporarily more difficult to identify and tell apart from each other when unconscious.
General anaesthesia decreases the uniqueness of brain functional connectivity across individuals and species - Nature Human Behaviour
Each individual is unique and so is their brain activity. Using brain fingerprinting from functional MRI during anaesthesia, Luppi et al. find that human brains become temporarily more difficult to identify and tell apart when unconscious.
www.nature.com
March 24, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Reposted by thinker tank
#MorningReads
A national probability sample from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study. Children w/ intersecting marginalized identities face higher depression, self-injury, and suicidal ideation. #LGBTHealth
APA PsycNet
psycnet.apa.org
February 13, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Reposted by thinker tank
Discover Montessori puzzles for toddlers to boost cognitive development & fine motor skills with interactive, educational wooden shape-sorting fun.
The post “Engage & Learn: Montessori Wooden Shape Sorting Puzzle – The ... https://s.mtrbio.com/sxsnrlxaif
February 14, 2025 at 4:01 AM
Reposted by thinker tank
The problem is that cognitive science wants it both ways when it comes to the "hard core" of computation over representation.

Strong empirical programs have been scoffed at and quickly dismissed because they didn't explain in these terms (see below)

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
February 13, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Reposted by thinker tank
📢 Join the 7th annual meeting of the Society for the Cognitive Science of Culture ( #SCSC ) on the 28-29th of April at the University of #Zurich! Registration and abstract submission are now open until the 28th of February.

More information:
culturalcogsci.org/AnnualMeetin...
February 13, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Reposted by thinker tank
Really enjoying this book. So many great examples for teaching Sensation and Perception!
February 12, 2025 at 12:54 AM
Reposted by thinker tank
Specific abilities for faces were additionally partially accounted for by their visual qualities as measured by location in object space. Face abilities were better predicted by people's abilities for discriminating stubby animate-looking objects than their abilities for other objects. 12/13
February 13, 2025 at 11:27 AM
Reposted by thinker tank
Paper🚨 "Objects, Faces, and Spaces: Organizational Principles of Visual Object Perception as Evidenced by Individual Differences in Behavior" by @heidasigurdar.bsky.social & @ingamariao.bsky.social JEP:G editor's choice ->free to read psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/202... #visionscience #psychscisky 🧵1/13
February 13, 2025 at 11:27 AM
Reposted by thinker tank
Does cultural experience shape visual perception?

New research finds "profound differences in visual phenomenology, with rural Namibian participants often failing to see percepts obvious to UK/US participants and vice versa."

Preprint: doi.org/10.31234/osf...
February 13, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Reposted by thinker tank
What happened when this school structured a course around cognitive competencies instead of traditional academic products like projects or essays?

Spoiler: *So much learning.* 🤯

#assessment #metacognition #EduSky
Designing a Course That Develops Students’ Metacognition
By shifting their focus to the process of learning instead of the product, students are encouraged to develop critical cognitive competencies.
buff.ly
February 13, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Reposted by thinker tank
In the field of neuroethology, "insect swarm intelligence" remains a pu. While insects like bees and ants exhibit highly coordinated group behavior, the fundamental principles and neural mechanisms underlying these complex swarm dynamics are not fully understood.
February 11, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Reposted by thinker tank
Blake Harvard on his book "Do I Have Your Attention?" and how he uses cognitive psychology in teaching. He covers memory, attention, learning pitfalls, and practical strategies like retrieval and spaced practice. Harvard argues that strong knowledge foundations boost creativity.
Boosting attention and learning with Blake Harvard (Ep 38)
Chalk & Talk · Episode
buff.ly
February 13, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Reposted by thinker tank
This took us years to do, from idea to publication, so glad to see this out 😊 Would love it if you would read and share. And huge thanks to all who helped us, including all our participants. #visionscience #neuroskyence #psychscisky #cogsci #cognitivescience #cognitivepsychology
Paper🚨 "Objects, Faces, and Spaces: Organizational Principles of Visual Object Perception as Evidenced by Individual Differences in Behavior" by @heidasigurdar.bsky.social & @ingamariao.bsky.social JEP:G editor's choice ->free to read psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/202... #visionscience #psychscisky 🧵1/13
February 13, 2025 at 11:33 AM
Reposted by thinker tank
Writing notes to remind us later is an example of cognitive offloading

Chasing #Consciousness: METACOGNITION: THE #SCIENCE OF SELF-AWARENESS - Stephen Fleming PHD #63

Episode webpage: podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cha...

Media file: anchor.fm/s/51be8448/p...

#psychology #CognitivePsychology
METACOGNITION: THE SCIENCE OF SELF-AWARENESS - Stephen Fleming PHD #63 by Chasing Consciousness
How and why did human’s develop self-awareness of what we know and don’t know? How does it develop in relation to how we evaluate what other people know? What are the risks of cognitive bias tainting ...
podcasters.spotify.com
February 13, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Reposted by thinker tank
Cognitive psychologists - here's a Swift-oriented pop quiz re: visual search (pop-out), word frequency & word superiority effects I made last year (still relevant this year!) I'm happy with it (though it's fairly simplistic). Would you change any of the answers or tweak any of the questions? Q1 -->
February 12, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Reposted by thinker tank
Why Some People Don’t ‘See’ Mental Imagery: Aphantasia #neuroscience #cogpsyc #aphantasia #memory
Why Some People Don’t ‘See’ Mental Imagery: Aphantasia
YouTube video by Quanta Magazine
www.youtube.com
February 13, 2025 at 2:15 AM
Reposted by thinker tank
Well, cog sci in systems neuroscience is becoming more and more alive, day after day
February 12, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Reposted by thinker tank
I think, regardless how you see what cognitive science is, the bibliometric and dept. evidence presented is pretty clear. anthropology, linguistics, philosophy, neuroscience, and psychology simple did not cohere into a unified front. its interesting to think about why...
February 13, 2025 at 6:32 AM