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...
The extended mind view and the embodied-grounded view of cognition and language are typically considered as rather independent perspectives. In this paper we propose a possible integration of the two views and support it proposing the idea of "Words As social Tools" (WAT). In this respect, we will propose that words, also due to their social and public character, can be conceived as...