Senne Braem
@sebraem.bsky.social
Professor of cognitive science, Ghent University. Cognitive control, reinforcement learning, fear conditioning, autism. https://users.ugent.be/~sbraem/
Reposted by Senne Braem
🚨Friends, we’re happy to share that our book is available for pre-order! 🎉
We aimed to cover all the foundations of the topic in an accessible manner for a large audience.
It could help set up a bachelor-level curriculum on the topic.
Pre-orders are very key for the fate of books: shorturl.at/Dxbif
We aimed to cover all the foundations of the topic in an accessible manner for a large audience.
It could help set up a bachelor-level curriculum on the topic.
Pre-orders are very key for the fate of books: shorturl.at/Dxbif
November 26, 2025 at 11:38 AM
🚨Friends, we’re happy to share that our book is available for pre-order! 🎉
We aimed to cover all the foundations of the topic in an accessible manner for a large audience.
It could help set up a bachelor-level curriculum on the topic.
Pre-orders are very key for the fate of books: shorturl.at/Dxbif
We aimed to cover all the foundations of the topic in an accessible manner for a large audience.
It could help set up a bachelor-level curriculum on the topic.
Pre-orders are very key for the fate of books: shorturl.at/Dxbif
Reposted by Senne Braem
New pontification piece with @awestbrook.bsky.social and Jean Daunizeau, just out in TICS:
Why is cognitive effort experienced as costly?
(or why does it hurt to think)
never written a review paper before in my life, that was a new and unusual experience
Why is cognitive effort experienced as costly?
(or why does it hurt to think)
never written a review paper before in my life, that was a new and unusual experience
Why is cognitive effort experienced as costly?
A widespread observation is that people avoid mentally effortful courses of action,
and much recent work examining cognitive effort has explained subjective effort evaluation
– and, consequently, pref...
www.cell.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:48 PM
New pontification piece with @awestbrook.bsky.social and Jean Daunizeau, just out in TICS:
Why is cognitive effort experienced as costly?
(or why does it hurt to think)
never written a review paper before in my life, that was a new and unusual experience
Why is cognitive effort experienced as costly?
(or why does it hurt to think)
never written a review paper before in my life, that was a new and unusual experience
Reposted by Senne Braem
My paper is out!
Computational modeling of error patterns during reward-based learning show evidence that habit learning (value free!) supplements working memory in 7 human data sets.
rdcu.be/eQjLN
Computational modeling of error patterns during reward-based learning show evidence that habit learning (value free!) supplements working memory in 7 human data sets.
rdcu.be/eQjLN
A habit and working memory model as an alternative account of human reward-based learning
Nature Human Behaviour - In this study, Collins proposes an alternative dual-process (working memory and habit) model of reinforcement learning in humans.
rdcu.be
November 17, 2025 at 5:18 PM
My paper is out!
Computational modeling of error patterns during reward-based learning show evidence that habit learning (value free!) supplements working memory in 7 human data sets.
rdcu.be/eQjLN
Computational modeling of error patterns during reward-based learning show evidence that habit learning (value free!) supplements working memory in 7 human data sets.
rdcu.be/eQjLN
Reposted by Senne Braem
What influences whether people have fun with a task?
Our paper “Leveling up fun: learning progress, expectations and success influence enjoyment in video games” with @thecharleywu.bsky.social and @ericschulz.bsky.social now in Scientific Reports!
rdcu.be/eI069
Paper summary below 1/4
Our paper “Leveling up fun: learning progress, expectations and success influence enjoyment in video games” with @thecharleywu.bsky.social and @ericschulz.bsky.social now in Scientific Reports!
rdcu.be/eI069
Paper summary below 1/4
Leveling up fun: learning progress, expectations, and success influence enjoyment in video games
Scientific Reports - Leveling up fun: learning progress, expectations, and success influence enjoyment in video games
rdcu.be
October 2, 2025 at 9:32 AM
What influences whether people have fun with a task?
Our paper “Leveling up fun: learning progress, expectations and success influence enjoyment in video games” with @thecharleywu.bsky.social and @ericschulz.bsky.social now in Scientific Reports!
rdcu.be/eI069
Paper summary below 1/4
Our paper “Leveling up fun: learning progress, expectations and success influence enjoyment in video games” with @thecharleywu.bsky.social and @ericschulz.bsky.social now in Scientific Reports!
rdcu.be/eI069
Paper summary below 1/4
Reposted by Senne Braem
Very happy to have presented our work on the computational basis of doomscrolling at the CocoFlex seminar (organized by @sebraem.bsky.social) in Ghent today!!!
More information about our work on the lab website sites.google.com/site/ireneco...
More information about our work on the lab website sites.google.com/site/ireneco...
September 10, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Very happy to have presented our work on the computational basis of doomscrolling at the CocoFlex seminar (organized by @sebraem.bsky.social) in Ghent today!!!
More information about our work on the lab website sites.google.com/site/ireneco...
More information about our work on the lab website sites.google.com/site/ireneco...
Reposted by Senne Braem
New paper out in Behavioral Research Methods! We introduce a simulation-based method using RNNs to infer trial-varying latent variables from computational cognitive models.
Link: doi.org/10.3758/s134...
#ComputationalCognitiveModeling #SBI
Link: doi.org/10.3758/s134...
#ComputationalCognitiveModeling #SBI
Latent variable sequence identification for cognitive models with neural network estimators - Behavior Research Methods
Extracting time-varying latent variables from computational cognitive models plays a key role in uncovering the dynamic cognitive processes that drive behaviors. However, existing methods are limited ...
doi.org
August 29, 2025 at 9:04 PM
New paper out in Behavioral Research Methods! We introduce a simulation-based method using RNNs to infer trial-varying latent variables from computational cognitive models.
Link: doi.org/10.3758/s134...
#ComputationalCognitiveModeling #SBI
Link: doi.org/10.3758/s134...
#ComputationalCognitiveModeling #SBI
Reposted by Senne Braem
After scrolling Twitter, it will take you a while to get back into “work mode”. Why is this the case? Our new work (out now in Psych Review), led by Ivan Grahek and Xiamin Leng, explores the costs of adjusting cognitive control to meet different goals:
psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
🧵 A thread:
psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
🧵 A thread:
APA PsycNet
psycnet.apa.org
August 27, 2025 at 4:37 PM
After scrolling Twitter, it will take you a while to get back into “work mode”. Why is this the case? Our new work (out now in Psych Review), led by Ivan Grahek and Xiamin Leng, explores the costs of adjusting cognitive control to meet different goals:
psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
🧵 A thread:
psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
🧵 A thread:
Reposted by Senne Braem
The lateral prefrontal cortex 🧠— which we think of as critical for goal driven behavior + is a target for psychiatric treatments— is fundamentally different in individuals relative to the group averages we’ve often studied.
👇see preprint and thread, led by Zach Ladwig
#neuroskyence #PsychSciSky
👇see preprint and thread, led by Zach Ladwig
#neuroskyence #PsychSciSky
August 14, 2025 at 3:16 PM
The lateral prefrontal cortex 🧠— which we think of as critical for goal driven behavior + is a target for psychiatric treatments— is fundamentally different in individuals relative to the group averages we’ve often studied.
👇see preprint and thread, led by Zach Ladwig
#neuroskyence #PsychSciSky
👇see preprint and thread, led by Zach Ladwig
#neuroskyence #PsychSciSky
Reposted by Senne Braem
What makes a puzzle hard?
I found this video delightful.
I found this video delightful.
Adventures in State Space
YouTube video by 2swap
www.youtube.com
August 23, 2025 at 10:26 PM
What makes a puzzle hard?
I found this video delightful.
I found this video delightful.
Reposted by Senne Braem
An abbreviation (ABB) in a journal article (JA) or Grant Application (GA) is rarely worth the words it saves. Every ABB requires cognitive resources (CR) and at my age by the time I'm halfway through a JA or GA I no longer have the CR to remember what your ABB stood for.
August 15, 2025 at 9:39 AM
An abbreviation (ABB) in a journal article (JA) or Grant Application (GA) is rarely worth the words it saves. Every ABB requires cognitive resources (CR) and at my age by the time I'm halfway through a JA or GA I no longer have the CR to remember what your ABB stood for.
Reposted by Senne Braem
In neuroscience, we often try to understand systems by analyzing their representations — using tools like regression or RSA. But are these analyses biased towards discovering a subset of what a system represents? If you're interested in this question, check out our new commentary! Thread:
![What do representations tell us about a system? Image of a mouse with a scope showing a vector of activity patterns, and a neural network with a vector of unit activity patterns
Common analyses of neural representations: Encoding models (relating activity to task features) drawing of an arrow from a trace saying [on_____on____] to a neuron and spike train. Comparing models via neural predictivity: comparing two neural networks by their R^2 to mouse brain activity. RSA: assessing brain-brain or model-brain correspondence using representational dissimilarity matrices](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:e6ewzleebkdi2y2bxhjxoknt/bafkreiav2io2ska33o4kizf57co5bboqyyfdpnozo2gxsicrfr5l7qzjcq@jpeg)
August 5, 2025 at 2:36 PM
In neuroscience, we often try to understand systems by analyzing their representations — using tools like regression or RSA. But are these analyses biased towards discovering a subset of what a system represents? If you're interested in this question, check out our new commentary! Thread:
Reposted by Senne Braem
🚨📊ɴᴇᴡ ᴘᴀᴘᴇʀ!! When we learn a new skill—like tying shoelaces or making pasta—we often start with a series of deliberate steps. But eventually, those steps blend into a smooth, single unit: an action chunk. But why and when do we chunk? 👇
📰https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1lMMD2Hx2-9B8
📰https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1lMMD2Hx2-9B8
July 25, 2025 at 6:15 PM
🚨📊ɴᴇᴡ ᴘᴀᴘᴇʀ!! When we learn a new skill—like tying shoelaces or making pasta—we often start with a series of deliberate steps. But eventually, those steps blend into a smooth, single unit: an action chunk. But why and when do we chunk? 👇
📰https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1lMMD2Hx2-9B8
📰https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1lMMD2Hx2-9B8
Reposted by Senne Braem
🚨 We’re hiring a postdoc!
Join the FLARE project @cimcyc.bsky.social to study sudden perceptual learning using fMRI, RSA, and DNNs.
🧠 2 years, fully funded, flexible start
More info 👉 gonzalezgarcia.github.io/postdoc/
DMs or emails welcome! Please share!
Join the FLARE project @cimcyc.bsky.social to study sudden perceptual learning using fMRI, RSA, and DNNs.
🧠 2 years, fully funded, flexible start
More info 👉 gonzalezgarcia.github.io/postdoc/
DMs or emails welcome! Please share!
Postdoc Position – FLARE Project
gonzalezgarcia.github.io
July 18, 2025 at 11:17 AM
🚨 We’re hiring a postdoc!
Join the FLARE project @cimcyc.bsky.social to study sudden perceptual learning using fMRI, RSA, and DNNs.
🧠 2 years, fully funded, flexible start
More info 👉 gonzalezgarcia.github.io/postdoc/
DMs or emails welcome! Please share!
Join the FLARE project @cimcyc.bsky.social to study sudden perceptual learning using fMRI, RSA, and DNNs.
🧠 2 years, fully funded, flexible start
More info 👉 gonzalezgarcia.github.io/postdoc/
DMs or emails welcome! Please share!
Reposted by Senne Braem
🚨 We’re hiring! The Computational Cognitive Neuroscience Lab at Virginia Tech is looking for a postdoc to join our team studying the neural + computational mechanisms of structure learning and flexible cognition: ccnvt.github.io#positions
CCN Lab
ccnvt.github.io
July 10, 2025 at 12:17 PM
🚨 We’re hiring! The Computational Cognitive Neuroscience Lab at Virginia Tech is looking for a postdoc to join our team studying the neural + computational mechanisms of structure learning and flexible cognition: ccnvt.github.io#positions
We moved our symposium to a bigger room so we have a few more extra seats available now! Join us September 10th for our symosium on "Flexible Definitions of Cognitive Flexibility"
shengjiexu.ugent.be/CoCoFlex_Sem.... Poster or talk submission deadline is in two weeks: July 31st!
shengjiexu.ugent.be/CoCoFlex_Sem.... Poster or talk submission deadline is in two weeks: July 31st!
July 17, 2025 at 10:22 AM
We moved our symposium to a bigger room so we have a few more extra seats available now! Join us September 10th for our symosium on "Flexible Definitions of Cognitive Flexibility"
shengjiexu.ugent.be/CoCoFlex_Sem.... Poster or talk submission deadline is in two weeks: July 31st!
shengjiexu.ugent.be/CoCoFlex_Sem.... Poster or talk submission deadline is in two weeks: July 31st!
Reposted by Senne Braem
🧠💻 We (a bunch of colleagues at @cimcyc.bsky.social) just released a programming guide for psych & cog neuro students. Instead of a tutorial, this is a starting point: a collection of reflections, examples, and recommendations.
👉 Still growing, but ready to explore: wobc.github.io/programming_book/
👉 Still growing, but ready to explore: wobc.github.io/programming_book/
Programming in psychological science
A practical introduction
wobc.github.io
July 16, 2025 at 2:21 PM
🧠💻 We (a bunch of colleagues at @cimcyc.bsky.social) just released a programming guide for psych & cog neuro students. Instead of a tutorial, this is a starting point: a collection of reflections, examples, and recommendations.
👉 Still growing, but ready to explore: wobc.github.io/programming_book/
👉 Still growing, but ready to explore: wobc.github.io/programming_book/
Reposted by Senne Braem
Super excited to share this one!! Meta-learning sparsity and learning rate gives rise to brain-like gradients of complementary learning systems. So complementary learning systems emerge organically through behavior optimization, and it's not just two of them!!
Excited to share a new preprint w/ @annaschapiro.bsky.social! Why are there gradients of plasticity and sparsity along the neocortex–hippocampus hierarchy? We show that brain-like organization of these properties emerges in ANNs that meta-learn layer-wise plasticity and sparsity. bit.ly/4kB1yg5
A gradient of complementary learning systems emerges through meta-learning
Long-term learning and memory in the primate brain rely on a series of hierarchically organized subsystems extending from early sensory neocortical areas to the hippocampus. The components differ in t...
bit.ly
July 16, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Super excited to share this one!! Meta-learning sparsity and learning rate gives rise to brain-like gradients of complementary learning systems. So complementary learning systems emerge organically through behavior optimization, and it's not just two of them!!
Reposted by Senne Braem
💥New postdoc position! 💥
Join us to explore how people learn from each other—and how that drives cultural evolution.
Run experiments, build computational models & collaborate across Europe w. @lucasmolleman.bsky.social
📍 Stockholm
More info: shorturl.at/CY4wk
Join us to explore how people learn from each other—and how that drives cultural evolution.
Run experiments, build computational models & collaborate across Europe w. @lucasmolleman.bsky.social
📍 Stockholm
More info: shorturl.at/CY4wk
Postdoctoral Researcher in psychology/cognitive science with focus on social learning and cultural evolution
Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research? The Mechanisms of Social Behavior lab at the Karolinska Institutet (PI: Björn Lindström) in Stockholm, Sweden is seeking a highly qualified
shorturl.at
June 26, 2025 at 11:22 AM
💥New postdoc position! 💥
Join us to explore how people learn from each other—and how that drives cultural evolution.
Run experiments, build computational models & collaborate across Europe w. @lucasmolleman.bsky.social
📍 Stockholm
More info: shorturl.at/CY4wk
Join us to explore how people learn from each other—and how that drives cultural evolution.
Run experiments, build computational models & collaborate across Europe w. @lucasmolleman.bsky.social
📍 Stockholm
More info: shorturl.at/CY4wk
Reposted by Senne Braem
The deadline has been extended until July 16th!
👉 PhDs: hmc-lab.com/ERC_PhDs.html
👉 Postdoc: hmc-lab.com/ERC_Postdoc....
👉 PhDs: hmc-lab.com/ERC_PhDs.html
👉 Postdoc: hmc-lab.com/ERC_Postdoc....
July 8, 2025 at 9:22 AM
The deadline has been extended until July 16th!
👉 PhDs: hmc-lab.com/ERC_PhDs.html
👉 Postdoc: hmc-lab.com/ERC_Postdoc....
👉 PhDs: hmc-lab.com/ERC_PhDs.html
👉 Postdoc: hmc-lab.com/ERC_Postdoc....
Reposted by Senne Braem
Impressive behavioral + modelling + eeg work, led by @lucvermeylen.bsky.social , relating time-on-task changes in comp parameters to changes in metacognitive reports!
The study suggests a few metacognitive states correlate with rational behavioural adjustments; this might help steering behaviour towards optimality.
@lucvermeylen.bsky.social @sebraem.bsky.social @kobedesender.bsky.social @gonzalezgarcia.bsky.social @mruz.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
@lucvermeylen.bsky.social @sebraem.bsky.social @kobedesender.bsky.social @gonzalezgarcia.bsky.social @mruz.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
The temporal dynamics of metacognitive experiences track rational adaptations in task performance - Communications Psychology
Using computational modeling and EEG, the study suggests several metacognitive states correlate with rational adjustments in behavior; this might benefit steering behavior towards optimality
www.nature.com
July 5, 2025 at 10:41 AM
Impressive behavioral + modelling + eeg work, led by @lucvermeylen.bsky.social , relating time-on-task changes in comp parameters to changes in metacognitive reports!
Reposted by Senne Braem
The study suggests a few metacognitive states correlate with rational behavioural adjustments; this might help steering behaviour towards optimality.
@lucvermeylen.bsky.social @sebraem.bsky.social @kobedesender.bsky.social @gonzalezgarcia.bsky.social @mruz.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
@lucvermeylen.bsky.social @sebraem.bsky.social @kobedesender.bsky.social @gonzalezgarcia.bsky.social @mruz.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
The temporal dynamics of metacognitive experiences track rational adaptations in task performance - Communications Psychology
Using computational modeling and EEG, the study suggests several metacognitive states correlate with rational adjustments in behavior; this might benefit steering behavior towards optimality
www.nature.com
July 4, 2025 at 9:15 AM
The study suggests a few metacognitive states correlate with rational behavioural adjustments; this might help steering behaviour towards optimality.
@lucvermeylen.bsky.social @sebraem.bsky.social @kobedesender.bsky.social @gonzalezgarcia.bsky.social @mruz.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
@lucvermeylen.bsky.social @sebraem.bsky.social @kobedesender.bsky.social @gonzalezgarcia.bsky.social @mruz.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
Reposted by Senne Braem
My latest: a short review on latent variable models to help uncover trial-to-trial structure in perceptual decision-making strategies
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lMiv4sIRv...
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lMiv4sIRv...
July 4, 2025 at 2:08 PM
My latest: a short review on latent variable models to help uncover trial-to-trial structure in perceptual decision-making strategies
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lMiv4sIRv...
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lMiv4sIRv...
Reposted by Senne Braem
Thrilled to see our TinyRNN paper in @nature! We show how tiny RNNs predict choices of individual subjects accurately while staying fully interpretable. This approach can transform how we model cognitive processes in both healthy and disordered decisions. doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Discovering cognitive strategies with tiny recurrent neural networks - Nature
Modelling biological decision-making with tiny recurrent neural networks enables more accurate predictions of animal choices than classical cognitive models and offers insights into the underlying cog...
doi.org
July 2, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Thrilled to see our TinyRNN paper in @nature! We show how tiny RNNs predict choices of individual subjects accurately while staying fully interpretable. This approach can transform how we model cognitive processes in both healthy and disordered decisions. doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Reposted by Senne Braem
Abstract rule learning promotes cognitive flexibility in complex environments across species
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#neuroscience
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#neuroscience
Abstract rule learning promotes cognitive flexibility in complex environments across species - Nature Communications
Whether neurocomputational mechanisms that speed up human learning in changing environments also exist in other species remains unclear. Here, the authors show that both rats and humans sequentially t...
www.nature.com
June 28, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Abstract rule learning promotes cognitive flexibility in complex environments across species
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#neuroscience
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#neuroscience
Reposted by Senne Braem
The Learning and Cognitive Control Laboratory at Ghent University (Belgium), led by Clay Holroyd, is recruiting two highly motivated postdoctoral fellows to apply a control-theoretic approach to investigate the neurocognitive mechanisms of cognitive effort ( doi.org/10.1037/rev0... )
APA PsycNet
doi.org
June 27, 2025 at 2:12 PM
The Learning and Cognitive Control Laboratory at Ghent University (Belgium), led by Clay Holroyd, is recruiting two highly motivated postdoctoral fellows to apply a control-theoretic approach to investigate the neurocognitive mechanisms of cognitive effort ( doi.org/10.1037/rev0... )