Scientific ReportsFebruary 3, 2026Giovanni Granato, Andrea Mattera, Emilio Cartoni et al.
Executive functions rely on goal-directed manipulation of representations, while metacognition reflects the evaluation and control of one’s own representations. Several studies have examined these processes separately, but none formalise the neuro-representational computations underlying their interaction during goal-directed behaviour. This gap prevents comprehensive frameworks and extended...
Goal-directed manipulation of internal representations is a key element of human flexible behaviour, while consciousness is commonly associated with higher-order cognition and human flexibility. Current perspectives have only partially linked these processes, thus preventing a clear understanding of how they jointly generate flexible cognition and behaviour. Moreover, these limitations prevent...
Goal-directed manipulation of representations is a key element of human flexible behaviour, while consciousness is often related to several aspects of higher-order cognition and human flexibility. Currently these two phenomena are only partially integrated (e.g., see Neurorepresentationalism) and this (a) limits our understanding of neuro-computational processes that lead conscious states to...