Welcome, Acknowledgements & Editors’ Note

Abstract

Dear Coxies, dear MEi:CogSci partners and friends, dear guests, and everyone engaging with our online proceedings,

Welcome to the 19th MEi:CogSci Conference, this year proudly hosted by the University of Ljubljana!

As cognitive science continues to explore the intricacies of natural and artificial intelligence, the questions we pose and the tools we use to answer them are evolving rapidly. We find ourselves at a pivotal moment. Large language models are not only transforming communication but also becoming collaborators in creative and cognitive tasks. This shift has sparked conversations about meaning, trust, and identity which are indispensable in the age of intelligent systems. How can we adapt such technologies responsibly for education, therapy, and society? What do they reveal about the underlying principles of cognition, and where do they fall short?

The diversity of this year’s student contributions reflects the broad and evolving scope of cognitive science. Topics range from identity in decision-making, social cognition, and predictive modeling of misinformation, to music and dance in early development, cognitive bias in virtual environments, and human-AI interaction. Several projects explore large language models, their role in language acquisition, common-sense reasoning, and grammar correction. Others investigate neural mechanisms through brain imaging, neurofeedback, and brain stimulation, or examine assistive technologies for aging, dementia, and aphasia. The program also includes studies on robotic learning, tool use in animals, epistemic translation through AI, and the cognitive framing of science communication. Together, these contributions highlight how MEi:CogSci students are engaging with cognition across levels, e.g., biological, psychological, technological, and social, and developing insights that speak to real-world challenges and opportunities.

What unites these investigations is a shared commitment to integrating knowledge across disciplines to better understand the mind, and to shape technologies that reflect and respect our cognitive, social, and ethical values.

At the MEi:CogSci program, we are proud to support the next generation of interdisciplinary scholars. Their work not only advances academic inquiry but also addresses real-world issues with creativity and care. This spirit of critical curiosity and ethical reflection defines our community and gives shape to this year’s proceedings.

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the Faculty of Education of the University of Ljubljana for hosting the conference  this year. This event has only been possible with the support and commitment of all student volunteers, faculty, and staff of the University of Ljubljana, especially the organising team: Urška Martinc, Toma Strle, Katarina Verbič, and Tina Geč.

We also want to thank our invited speakers Gregor Majdič (rector of the University of Ljubljana), Urban Kordeš (University of Ljubljana), and Brigitte Römmer-Nossek (University of Vienna) for joining us this year and for sharing their expertise with us.

The dedication of our graduates to their diverse and successful career paths, and their participation in the MEi:CogSci community even after graduation, is an inspiration to our students and young researchers. We deeply appreciate their shared insights during the alumni panel and their contribution to an open dialogue between both current and former students.

We also want to express our gratitude to all reviewers and supervisors who provide the foundation for this event. Their involvement and thorough input helped to develop the underlying research and elevated the publications in these proceedings to higher academic standards.

In addition, we would like to thank all who sent in designs for the conference logo for their creative efforts! Congratulations and special thanks to Udo Schimanofsky, whose logo this year reminds us to unlock our (action) potentials.

And last but not least, it is you, Coxies, who make this conference. Your posters, talks, and initiatives are what inspire and constitute this event. It is your enthusiasm and curiosity for interdisciplinary research that makes the MEi:CogSci Conference 2025 not only happen, but an exciting and joyful event to be part of!

Thank you for joining us in this celebration of interdisciplinary thinking. We invite you to explore the contributions within these proceedings with an open mind and a forward-looking perspective.

Editors’ Note

We, the editors, thank all the MEi:CogSci students/authors for  submitting their work to the MEi:CogSci Conference 2025. We are happy to present your work in the conference proceedings and to contribute to the field of cognitive science by covering such a variety of interesting topics.

The MEi:CogSci conference and its proceedings are a joint effort. The editors ensure that the work submitted to the conference is in accordance with the conference guidelines for authors. Thus, the editors revise the submissions in respect to formal criteria and formatting issues. Participating students/authors are expected to adhere to good scientific practice and to honor the regulations relating to academic conduct. The students'/authors' responsibilities include the usage of references and citations in a transparent, precise, and correct manner, as well as issues regarding the style, spelling, and grammar of their abstracts.

Thank you all for allowing us to represent MEi:CogSci and our program’s understanding of cognitive science through your submissions of original work!