Welcome, Acknowledgements & Editors’ Note

Abstract

Welcome

Dear Coxies, dear MEi:CogSci partners and friends, dear guests, and everyone interested in reading our online proceedings,

Welcome to our 18th MEi:CogSci Conference; this year hosted by Comenius University Bratislava!

Cognitive science deals with the theoretical foundations, mathematical models, applications, and societal impacts of (artificial) intelligent systems. It also emphasizes the importance of systems thinking as well as interdisciplinary approaches to complex problems. Nowadays, the rapid development of groundbreaking generative technologies for everyday use raises questions about the future of work, the future of studying, and the future of living together in a technology-enhanced society. This makes questions about the nature, processing, authorship, and ownership of knowledge central to cognitive science and even more crucial for governmental decisions and for shaping our futures. This conference provides a fruitful platform to address interdisciplinary issues like these as well as to raise timely questions and nurture open dialogue and exploration about how to channel novel technologies, methods, and research to improve societal well-being and assist in our cognitive processes and understanding.

MEi:CogSci aims to educate not only experts in cognitive science, but also interdisciplinary researchers and humans desiring to act in an ethically and socially responsible manner. We are particularly proud this year of the rich interdisciplinarity that characterizes our sessions with topics spanning from the neurobiology of cognition to human-AI interaction, and from social identity and phenomenology to robotics and computational models of the mind. We deeply value the diverse expertise brought together by all participants. This diversity not only reflects the inclusive horizons of cognitive science, but also fosters a collaborative environment that encourages novel knowledge exchanges and innovative questions at the intersections of society, biology, technology, and cognition. 

As a final note, we would like to emphasize our commitment to sustainability by announcing that the proceedings of the conference will be published exclusively online; a decision that not only reduces our ecological footprint, but also makes the valuable contributions of our participants accessible to a global audience. This digital format ensures that the knowledge shared at this conference can reach far beyond the physical confines of our venue, promoting wider dissemination and ongoing engagement with the pioneering research presented here.

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics of Comenius University Bratislava 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 Comenius University Bratislava, especially Krístina Malinovská, Igor Farkaš and MartinTakáč.

We also want to thank our invited speakers Renata Geld (University of Zagreb), Alessandra Sciutti (Italian Institute of Technology, Italy), and Ronald Sladky (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 also an inspiration and reference for our students and young researchers. We deeply appreciate their shared invaluable insights during the alumni panel and how they have established an open dialogue between both current and former  students.

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

In addition, we wouldn't have our wonderful logo without the contribution and skills of Patricia Šušteršič, to whom we are thankful for bringing the colorfulness, brain, and heart to the core of our designs.

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 to give closure to the academic year. It is your enthusiasm and curiosity for the research of your peers that makes the MEi:CogSci Conference 2024 not only happen, but an exciting and joyful event to be part of!

Thank you all for your contributions! Enjoy the 18th MEi:CogSci Conference!

Editors’ Note

We, the editors, thank all the MEi:CogSci students/authors for submitting their work to the MEi:CogSci Conference 2024. 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 good 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!