Presenters:

Makris Nikos¹, Kazi Smaragda²

Title:

The Reflective Nexus: How Consciousness Guide Cognitive Development

Affiliation:

¹Democritus University of Thrace, ²Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences

Description:

The presentation introduces the concept of the Reflective Nexus as a unified theoretical framework describing the developmental mechanism and architectural structure through which consciousness reorganizes cognition. In contrast to traditional approaches that treat metacognition and theory of mind as distinct and late-emerging abilities, the Reflective Nexus conceptualizes them as constituent facets of the same reflective architecture of consciousness: metacognition is primarily oriented toward the intra-personal (self-reflective) domain, whereas theory of mind is oriented toward the inter-personal (other-reflective) domain. The proposed model integrates developmental, representational, and global workspace perspectives on cognition. Within this framework, consciousness is not viewed as a static property or a mere epiphenomenon of information processing, but as a recursive and self-organizing force that mediates between representation, cognitive control, and social understanding. Drawing on developmental evidence, the talk argues that reflective functions, such as the evaluation of one’s own thinking and the attribution of intentions to others, mutually reinforce one another across childhood and adolescence, leading to the gradual emergence of reflective maturity.  Findings from developmental and intervention-based studies are presented to document the mediating role of reflective awareness in the development of complex cognitive abilities. The aim of the presentation is to propose an integrated theoretical account of consciousness as an emergent structure that arises, integrates, and reorganizes cognition through reflection, bridging the self-referential and inter-personal dimensions of human thought.

Presenters:

Kazi Smaragda¹,Karousou Alexandra², Economacou Dimitra³, Bikos Tryfonas³, Makris Nikos³

Title:

Metacognitive Monitoring as a Mediating Mechanism Between Executive Functions and Cognitive Performance

Affiliation:

¹Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, ²University of Western Attica, ³Democritus University of Thrace

Description:

This talk presents findings from a developmental study investigating the mediating role of metacognitive monitoring (MM) in the relationship between executive functions (EF) and cognitive performance during childhood. The aim of the study was to examine whether metacognitive experience facilitates access to executive processes and, through this pathway, contributes to more effective problem solving. The sample consisted of 277 children aged 4.3 to 9.9 years (M = 7.21). Participants were asked to solve spatial and mathematical problems, followed by asynchronous metacognitive similarity judgments, involving comparisons between pairs of problems differing in difficulty and type. The results showed that metacognitive monitoring functions as a significant mediator in the EF–cognitive performance relationship. The findings are interpreted within theories of metacognitive development and support the functional role of metacognitive monitoring as a mechanism for accessing and activating executive resources. The talk concludes that strengthening metacognitive monitoring may have a transformative impact on learning trajectories, providing empirical support for the Reflective Nexus as a developmental mechanism for the reorganization of cognition.

Presenter:

Economacou Dimitra

Title:

Developmental Trajectories and Structural–Functional Relations Between Theory of Mind and Metacognition

Affiliation:

Democritus University of Thrace

Description:

This talk examines the developmental trajectories of theory of mind and metacognition from preschool to early school age in a sample of children aged 4–9 years, and investigates how these two abilities are structurally and functionally related across development. Metacognition was assessed through asynchronous metacognitive similarity judgments and their justifications, while theory of mind was examined using first- and second-order tasks. The results indicate continuous developmental improvement in both abilities, with evidence of reorganization during the transition from preschool to early school age, as well as increasing convergence between metacognition and theory of mind with age. Structural analyses revealed two complementary levels of interpretation: at a structural level, shared variance in performance is accounted for by a common awareness factor, whereas at a functional and developmental level the two abilities emerge as distinct yet dynamically interacting processes. Taken together, the findings support the view that awareness is not constituted solely as a static structure, but as a developmentally dynamic system. Within this framework, the Reflective Nexus is proposed as an architectural and functional schema that organizes the co-development of metacognition and theory of mind within consciousness.

Presenter:

Bikos Tryfonas

Title:

Children and Errors: Post-Error Adjustment as an Indicator of Metacognitive Functioning

Affiliation:

Democritus University of Thrace

Description:

This study examines the emergence and development of post-error slowing and post-error accuracy in children aged 7 and 13 years, as well as their relation to metacognitive monitoring. Post-error adjustments were assessed using a version of the Hearts and Flowers task, a spatial stimulus–response compatibility task with compatible and incompatible conditions. Metacognition was measured through confidence judgments provided by the children during a mathematical problem-solving task. The findings show that both forms of post-error adjustment are already present by middle childhood, but follow different developmental trajectories. Whereas post-error slowing remains relatively stable and broadly expressed, post-error accuracy appears more sensitive to developmental change and individual differences in metacognition. Mixed-effects models indicate that greater post-error slowing is associated with higher post-error accuracy, supporting the hypothesis that the additional time gained following an error may be used for strategic reorganization. The results support the view that post-error adjustments are not merely products of executive control, but reflect the activation of a reflective regulatory mechanism. As such, they illuminate the functional dimension of the Reflective Nexus, demonstrating how consciousness, through the interaction of metacognition and control, enables children to learn from errors and develop self-regulation.

Λίστα Προσκεκλημένων Συμποσίων