{"title":"The nativist–empiricist debate is broken","authors":"Jake Quilty-Dunn,Justin N. Wood","doi":"10.1016/j.tics.2026.08.004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2026.08.004","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49417,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Cognitive Sciences","volume":"36 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":19.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148923546","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Sound asleep, yet still listening: auditory processing during human sleep","authors":"Delphine Oudiette,Thomas Andrillon","doi":"10.1016/j.tics.2026.09.009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2026.09.009","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49417,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Cognitive Sciences","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":19.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149020514","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Florian Bähner, Sarah Oh, Ali Hummos, Kai Sandbrink, Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, Anne G E Collins
{"title":"Neurocomputational mechanisms underlying cognitive flexibility: a translational perspective.","authors":"Florian Bähner, Sarah Oh, Ali Hummos, Kai Sandbrink, Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, Anne G E Collins","doi":"10.1016/j.tics.2026.08.003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2026.08.003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cognitive flexibility allows us to adjust behavior when environmental rules change and to recombine prior knowledge in novel situations. However, the computations underlying rule discovery remain unclear: how do rule representations emerge as we interact with the environment? While it is often considered a hallmark of human behavior, converging evidence highlights comparable forms of abstract learning in rodents. Across species, prefrontal activity patterns encode structured representations that support generalization and monitor for rule switches. In this review, we synthesize recent behavioral, neural, and computational work highlighting models that formalize rule inference and creation. We consider how a translational framework linking circuit-level mechanisms to computational principles can help us understand disruptions in cognitive flexibility in disorders such as schizophrenia.</p>","PeriodicalId":49417,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Cognitive Sciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":20.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148876379","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Advisory Board and Contents","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/s1364-6613(26)00189-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/s1364-6613(26)00189-0","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49417,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Cognitive Sciences","volume":"5 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":19.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148883428","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fiorella Del Popolo Cristaldi,Leah Banellis,Gioia Bottesi,Micah G. Allen
{"title":"Beyond Accuracy: Interoceptive Self-Appraisal and the Meaning of Bodily Signals","authors":"Fiorella Del Popolo Cristaldi,Leah Banellis,Gioia Bottesi,Micah G. Allen","doi":"10.1016/j.tics.2026.09.010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2026.09.010","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49417,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Cognitive Sciences","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":19.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149020512","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zhivar Sourati, Alireza S Ziabari, Morteza Dehghani
{"title":"The homogenizing effect of large language models on human expression and thought.","authors":"Zhivar Sourati, Alireza S Ziabari, Morteza Dehghani","doi":"10.1016/j.tics.2026.01.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tics.2026.01.003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cognitive diversity, reflected in variations of language, perspective, and reasoning, is essential to creativity and collective intelligence. This diversity is rich and grounded in culture, history, and individual experience. Yet, as large language models (LLMs) become deeply embedded in people's lives, they risk standardizing language and reasoning. We synthesize evidence across linguistics, psychology, cognitive science, and computer science to show how LLMs reflect and reinforce dominant styles while marginalizing alternative voices and reasoning strategies. We examine how their design and widespread use contribute to this effect by mirroring patterns in their training data and amplifying convergence as all people increasingly rely on the same models across contexts. Unchecked, this homogenization risks flattening the cognitive landscapes that drive collective intelligence and adaptability.</p>","PeriodicalId":49417,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Cognitive Sciences","volume":" ","pages":"805-816"},"PeriodicalIF":20.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147445594","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"In defense of a distinction.","authors":"Ian Phillips","doi":"10.1016/j.tics.2026.02.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tics.2026.02.002","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49417,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Cognitive Sciences","volume":" ","pages":"765-766"},"PeriodicalIF":20.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148425632","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Krzysztof Dołęga, Alexander Klein, Axel Cleeremans
{"title":"Does reframing access and phenomenality advance consciousness science?","authors":"Krzysztof Dołęga, Alexander Klein, Axel Cleeremans","doi":"10.1016/j.tics.2026.03.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tics.2026.03.008","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49417,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Cognitive Sciences","volume":" ","pages":"767-768"},"PeriodicalIF":20.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148425629","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Christian Beste, Heleen A Slagter, Christian Herff, Yukiyasu Kamitani, Sabrina Coninx, Richard van Wezel, Christian Frings
{"title":"Moving intentions from brains to machines.","authors":"Christian Beste, Heleen A Slagter, Christian Herff, Yukiyasu Kamitani, Sabrina Coninx, Richard van Wezel, Christian Frings","doi":"10.1016/j.tics.2025.12.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tics.2025.12.003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Brain-computer interface (BCI) research has achieved remarkable technical progress but remains limited in scope, typically relying on motor and visual cortex signals in limited patient populations. We propose a paradigm shift in BCI design rooted in ideomotor theory, which conceptualizes voluntary action as driven by internally represented sensory outcomes. This underused framework offers a principled basis for next-generation BCIs that align closely with the brain's natural intentional and action-planning architecture. We suggest a more intuitive, generalizable, and scalable path by reorienting BCIs around the 'what for' of action-user goals and anticipated effects. This shift is timely and feasible, enabled by advances in neural recording and artificial intelligence-based decoding of sensory representations. It may help resolve challenges of usability and generalizability in BCI design.</p>","PeriodicalId":49417,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Cognitive Sciences","volume":" ","pages":"783-793"},"PeriodicalIF":20.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145991282","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The ongoing urgency of diversity science","authors":"Jordan G. Starck,Anmol Gupta","doi":"10.1016/j.tics.2026.09.011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2026.09.011","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49417,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Cognitive Sciences","volume":"2 1-2 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":19.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149020513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}