Koç University · Istanbul
Exploring the cognitive mechanisms that shape how we think, remember, and decide — together.
Join the Lab"Know thyself"— Socrates
We investigate social cognition — the cognitive mechanisms that support and shape social interactions. Our central focus is the role of metacognition in social feedback processing: how our awareness of our own thinking guides the way we integrate information from others.
Repeated exposure to a statement increases the likelihood that people will judge it as true — regardless of its actual accuracy. Even when individuals initially recognize a claim as false, simply encountering it multiple times creates a sense of familiarity that is often misinterpreted as evidence of truth. We study the cognitive mechanisms behind this bias and its social implications.
Also known as collective memory, social memory refers to the shared understanding and remembrance of past events within a group or society. It is not merely individual memory, but a socially constructed narrative about meaningful experiences that shapes a group's identity, values, and sense of meaning. We explore how memory becomes collective and how it influences social behavior.
Metacognition is the awareness and understanding of one's own thinking — "thinking about thinking." Gestures support communication and can reveal what we are thinking. By examining the relationship between gesture and metacognition, we uncover how physical expression reflects and shapes our awareness of our own cognitive processes.
Social metacognition refers to people's awareness and evaluation of their own thinking in social contexts — especially when judging others' opinions, advice, or information. In advice-taking situations, this involves assessing how confident we are in our own judgment, how reliable we think the advisor is, and how much weight we should give to external input.
Active research conducted by SOMI Lab members. Click any project to read more.
We are recruiting motivated MA & PhD students interested in metacognitive mechanisms in social interactions.