The CEU Department of Cognitive Science cordially invites you to the following talk by:

Steve Fleming (UCL)

Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Time: 10 AM pm (to 11:30 am) CET (Mind the unusual timing please!!!)

Venue: D001 (QS Vienna) and Zoom: https://ceu-edu.zoom.us/j/91672333857?pwd=fSO9t5VpPGihzxiXUagpTWAYsGClU5.1

Meeting ID: 916 7233 3857
Passcode: 215291

Chair: József Fiser

How the human brain thinks about itself: metacognition, reality monitoring and conscious experience 

The human brain has a remarkable ability to monitor and evaluate its own mental states, known as metacognition. Metacognition enables us to recognise gaps in our knowledge and collaborate effectively. Conversely, problems with metacognition are linked to maladaptive behaviours, such as endorsing false beliefs or being unaware of our own limitations. In my talk I will review the development of experimental and modelling tools that allow us to isolate how metacognitive capacity relates to human brain function and supports a rich awareness of our skills and capabilities. I will elucidate the psychological structure of metacognition across tasks, cognitive domains, and timescales, and describe recent behavioural and neuroimaging experiments which investigate how and whether people are able to apply metacognitive capacities to tell the difference between reality and imagination. I’ll end by considering the implications of a science of metacognition for understanding the evolution and functions of consciousness.

*Anyone not affiliated with CEU wishing to attend in-person in Vienna must reply here to get access to the lecture hall.

Let Jozsef know, please, if you would like to schedule a meeting with the speaker.

Best,

Reka