Brendan is a PhD candidate and award-winning teacher of Cognitive Science, and a recipient of the SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship. His PhD thesis focuses on a computational explanation of metacognitive skill learning. Brendan will finish his PhD in spring 2026.
Research interests
• Metacognition
• Cognitive modeling
• Artificial intelligence
PUBLICATIONS
Conway-Smith, B. (2025 in press). Metacognition as a Domain of Skill. In Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society.PDF
Conway-Smith, B., & West, R. L. (2025 in press). Metacognition in HCI: Designing Systems for Planning and Flexibility. In Proceedings of the 27th HCI International Conference, HCII 2025.PDF
Conway-Smith, B., & West, R. (2025 in press). Metacognitive Mechanisms of the Attentional Training Technique. In Proceedings of ICCM 2025, 23rd International Conference on Cognitive Modelling.PDF
Conway-Smith, B., & West, R. L. (2024). Toward Autonomy: Metacognitive Learning for Enhanced AI Performance . In AAAI Spring Symposium on Human-Like Learning in AI.PDF
Conway-Smith, B., & West, R. L. (2024). The Computational Mechanisms of Detached Mindfulness. In Proceedings of ICCM 2024, 22nd International Conference on Cognitive Modelling. PDF
West, R., Eckler, S., Conway-Smith, B., Turcas, N., Kelly, M. (2023). Bridging Generative Networks with the Common Model of Cognition. In AAAI Fall Symposium. PDF
Conway-Smith, B., & West, R. L. (2023). Metacognitive Threshold: a Computational Account. In Proceedings of ICCM 2023, 21st International Conference on Cognitive Modelling. PDF
Conway-Smith, B., West, R. & Mylopoulos, M. (2023). Metacognitive Skill: How it is Acquired. In Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society. PDF Conway-Smith, B., & West, R. L. (2022). System-1 and System-2 Realized Within the Common Model of Cognition. In AAAI Fall Symposium: Thinking Fast & Slow and Other Cognitive Theories in AI. doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2305.09091 PDF
Conway-Smith, B., & West, R. L. (2022). Clarifying System 1 & 2 Through the Common Model of Cognition. In Proceedings of ICCM 2022 20th International Conference on Cognitive Modelling. PDF
West, R. L., & Conway-Smith, B. (2019). A Computational Theory of Feeling. In Proceedings of ICCM 2019 17th International Conference on Cognitive Modelling, 295-300. PDF
VIDEO PRESENTATIONS
Brendan gives and invited talk to Stanford's Causality in Cognition Lab
Brendan speaks at Stanford University on meta-learning in AIBrendan's YouTube channel
Visit his YouTube channel on metacognition
https://www.youtube.com/@Meta-Think/videosMetacognitive threshold
Brendan presents new publication at ICCM (Netherlands)
Metacognitive skill: how it is acquired
Brendan presents new publication at Carleton (Ottawa).
TEDx 2022 Metacognition: an important skill for modern times
Meta-Reasoning and the Influence of Culture Brendan presents at the 1st Meta-reasoning conference (Jerusalem).
AAAI 2022 Fall Symposium Brendan presents his paper published at AAAI (U.S.A).
Class lecture: metacognition (part 1)
Class lecture: metacognition (part 2)
Class lecture: metacognition (part 3)
ICCM 2022 presentation: Clarifying system-1 & 2 through the common model of cognition
Video lecture archive: Theories in Cognitive Science (CGSC 2001B):
CogSci 2021 conference: The proceduralization of metacognitive skills
GRADflix - 1 min. video contest:
CogSci conference 2020: A hierarchical model of metacognition
