How the human brain thinks about itself
Join us for the Royal Society Francis Crick Prize Lecture given by 2024 winner Professor Stephen Fleming.
The human brain has a remarkable ability to monitor and evaluate its own thinking, known as metacognition. Metacognition is crucial to success, enabling us to recognise gaps in our knowledge and collaborate effectively. Problems with metacognition are linked to maladaptive behaviours, such as endorsing false beliefs or being unaware of our own limitations. Professor Stephen Fleming will discuss how his group is developing the tools to isolate how this extraordinary capacity for self-reflection and self-awareness is supported by the functions of the human brain. By combining mathematical models of human behaviour with cutting-edge brain imaging techniques, the team is discovering the building blocks of metacognition, and asking how these pieces come together to support a rich awareness of own skills and capabilities. This work is uncovering the neurobiology of a core aspect of what makes us human, with wide-ranging implications for mental health, education and AI.
Stephen Fleming is Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the Department of Experimental Psychology, UCL, a Group Leader at the Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, and Principal Investigator at the Functional Imaging Laboratory, where he leads the Metacognition Group. He studied Psychology and Physiology at the University of Oxford before completing his PhD at UCL and postdoctoral studies at New York University. Stephen’s research on the neuroscience of metacognition and self-awareness has been recognised by awards including a Philip Leverhulme Prize in Psychology, the British Psychological Society Spearman Medal, and the Francis Crick Medal and Lecture from the Royal Society. He is the author of Know Thyself (2021), a trade book on the science of metacognition.
Attending the event
- The event is free to join, please register via Eventbrite for a ticket
- Live subtitles will be available in-person and virtually
Attending in person
- This lecture can be attended in person at the Royal Society
- Doors will open to the public at 5.45pm GMT. Entry will be on a first-come, first-served basis, and cannot be guaranteed
- Travel and accessibility information
Attending live online
- The lecture will also be livestreamed here and on the Royal Society YouTube channel
- You can take part in the live Q&A (details to follow)
- This event will be recorded (including the live Q&A) and the recording will be available on YouTube soon after the event
For all enquiries, please contact awards@royalsociety.org.
