arXiv subjects

Brendan Conway-Smith

Publications and source records attributed to Brendan Conway-Smith.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Metacognitive Skill Learning: A Computational Account

This dissertation presents the first formal theory of metacognitive skill learning. Metacognition, the capacity to monitor and control one's own cognitive processes, has been widely studied, yet the field still lacks a theoretical framework explaining how metacognitive abilities are learned. This gap limits progress in both theory and application across fields such as cognitive science, education, therapeutic practice, and artificial intelligence. The account developed here builds on classic models of skill acquisition from perceptual-motor and cognitive domains. It proposes that metacognitive skill develops primarily through proceduralization, whereby explicit, effortful metacognitive processes are transformed through practice into implicit, automatic routines. The explanatory power of this theory is shown by its ability to unify diverse phenomena, including attentional training, emotion regulation, the metacognitive threshold, and detached mindfulness. The result is an integrated, mechanistic account of metacognitive skill that organizes existing findings, generates testable predictions, informs the design of AI, and supports the strengthening of metacognitive skill in everyday life.

q-bio.NC↗

arXiv2026

Enhancing Metacognitive AI: Knowledge-Graph Population with Graph-Theoretic LLM Enrichment

Metacognition-the ability to monitor one's own knowledge state, spot gaps, and autonomously fill them--remains largely absent from modern AI. Here, we present MetaKGEnrich, a fully automated pipeline that endows large language model (LLM) applications with self-directed knowledge repair. The system (i) builds knowledge graphs from a seed query, (ii) detects sparse regions via seven graph metrics, (iii) has GPT-4o generate targeted questions, (iv) retrieves web evidence with Tavily and ingests it into Neo4j, and (v) re-answers the query with GraphRAG for GPT-4 to evaluate improvement. Tested on 30 queries from each of three widely-used datasets: Google Research Natural Questions, MS MARCO, and Hot-potQA. MetaKGEnrich improved answer quality in 80% of HotpotQA questions, 87% of Google Research Natural Questions and 83% of MS MARCO questions, while preserving well-supported regions. This proof of concept demonstrates how topological self-diagnosis plus targeted retrieval can advance AI toward humanlike metacognitive learning.

cs.AI↗

arXiv2024

The Computational Mechanisms of Detached Mindfulness

This paper investigates the computational mechanisms underlying a type of metacognitive monitoring known as detached mindfulness, a particularly effective therapeutic technique within cognitive psychology. While research strongly supports the capacity of detached mindfulness to reduce depression and anxiety, its cognitive and computational underpinnings remain largely unexplained. We employ a computational model of metacognitive skill to articulate the mechanisms through which a detached perception of affect reduces emotional reactivity.

q-bio.NC↗

arXiv2024

Bridging Generative Networks with the Common Model of Cognition

This article presents a theoretical framework for adapting the Common Model of Cognition to large generative network models within the field of artificial intelligence. This can be accomplished by restructuring modules within the Common Model into shadow production systems that are peripheral to a central production system, which handles higher-level reasoning based on the shadow productions' output. Implementing this novel structure within the Common Model allows for a seamless connection between cognitive architectures and generative neural networks.

cs.AI↗

arXiv2023

Metacognitive threshold: a computational account

This paper will explore ways of computationally accounting for the metacognitive threshold -- the minimum amount of stimulus needed for a mental state to be perceived -- and discuss potential cognitive mechanisms by which this threshold can be influenced through metacognitive training and meditation.

cs.OH↗

arXiv2023

AAAI 2022 Fall Symposium: System-1 and System-2 realized within the Common Model of Cognition

Attempts to import dual-system descriptions of System-1 and System-2 into AI have been hindered by a lack of clarity over their distinction. We address this and other issues by situating System-1 and System-2 within the Common Model of Cognition. Results show that what are thought to be distinctive characteristics of System-1 and 2 instead form a spectrum of cognitive properties. The Common Model provides a comprehensive vision of the computational units involved in System-1 and System-2, their underlying mechanisms, and the implications for learning, metacognition, and emotion.

cs.AI↗

arXiv2023

Clarifying System 1 & 2 through the Common Model of Cognition

There have been increasing challenges to dual-system descriptions of System-1 and System-2, critiquing them as imprecise and fostering misconceptions. We address these issues here by way of Dennett's appeal to use computational thinking as an analytical tool, specifically we employ the Common Model of Cognition. Results show that the characteristics thought to be distinctive of System-1 and System-2 instead form a spectrum of cognitive properties. By grounding System-1 and System-2 in the Common Model we aim to clarify their underlying mechanisms, persisting misconceptions, and implications for metacognition.

cs.AI↗