Psychology in English BA Program, NBU

Dear colleagues,
On behalf of the Department of Cognitive Science and Psychology, we would like to invite you to a seminar Dr. Cvetomir Dimov (University of Geneva, Switzerland).
Topic: "An Integrated Model of Collaborative Skill Acquisition".
The seminar will take place on 07.05.2026 (Thursday) at 18:00h in Hall 305, Building 2 of building 1 of NBU. The seminar will be in English. You can find more about the topic and speaker here: https://news.nbu.bg/bg/events/seminar-an-integrated-model-of-collaborative-skill-acquisition!95400

Abstract:
Skill acquisition is characterized by an improvement in both speed and precision. In individual tasks, these phenomena are driven by proceduralization - the transition to procedural-only ex*****on - and control tuning, where control parameters are optimized for a specific task. But do these same mechanisms govern collaborative skill acquisition? To investigate this, we developed a cognitive model for data from two studies involving the dynamic video game Co-op Space Fortress, where participants worked together without communication. The model successfully captured overall performance metrics, as well as the subjects' tendency toward role adoption and reliance on anticipatory actions. Our results suggest that, in the absence of communication, collaborative skill acquisition is largely governed by the same underlying cognitive processes as individual skill acquisition.

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Cvetomir Dimov is a Research Associate at the University of Geneva, where his work centers on the study of collaboration. He earned his PhD focusing on the cognitive processes underlying inferential decision-making, later expanding his research into collaborative skill acquisition as a postdoctoral fellow under Prof. John R. Anderson. Currently supported by an SNSF Ambizione grant, Dr. Dimov investigates collaborative processes through two primary streams: the construction of a dialogue manager to extend his earlier collaborative skill acquisition model, and the development of a novel serious game to study collaborative planning and problem solving.

At the invitation of the Cultural Center of Sofia University, the world-renowned scientist Steven Pinker will be visiting Sofia on April 16. He will be awarded the title of Doctor Honoris Causa of the University, with the ceremony starting at 11 a.m. in the Aula of the Rectorate. Steven Pinker will deliver a lecture on the topic: When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows: The Mysteries of Money, Power, and Everyday Life. Simultaneous translation will be provided.

On the same day at 5 p.m. in auditorium 148 of Sofia University, Pinker will talk to his readers and fans. The discussion will be in English. The moderator of the event will be Boyko Vassilev.

Prof. Steven Pinker is a Canadian-American cognitive psychologist and linguist, one of the most influential intellectuals in the field of cognitive science, the psychology of language, and evolutionary psychology at the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st centuries. Through his books and lectures, he makes complex scientific concepts accessible to a wide audience, encouraging critical thinking, rational discourse, and evidence-based thinking. His research has played a significant role in understanding language, the human mind, and human nature. It has influenced not only academic science, but also practical approaches to education, communication, and developments related to artificial intelligence. Among Pinker's important contributions is the thesis that language is a biologically conditioned cognitive instinct, rather than the product of some cultural ingenuity. This position is set out in his book The Language Instinct (1994), where he develops the thesis that the language ability is the result of evolutionary processes and is a universal characteristic of the human species. He is also an active supporter of the idea of the modular mind - the notion that human cognition consists of specialized mental systems shaped by natural selection. In How the Mind Works (1997), Pinker proposes a comprehensive model of cognitive architecture, combining evolutionary biology, cognitive psychology, and philosophy of mind. In later works, Pinker turns his attention to macrosocial and historical issues, arguing that violence in human societies has declined in the long term due to the development of statehood, trade, literacy, and moral norms. Many of his most famous studies have been translated into Bulgarian. Among his translators are Boyko Penchev, Elena Filipova, and Rosen Lyutskanov. Steven Pinker's Bulgarian publisher is «Iztok-Zapad».

Dear colleagues,

On behalf of the Department of Cognitive Science and Psychology and the Laboratory of Neuroscience, we would like to invite you to a public lecture with Prof. Dr. Bogdan Draganski (University of Bern, Switzerland).

Topic: "Imaging Neuroscience – the what's and how's".

The lecture will take place on 23.01.2026 (Friday) between 17h and 18h in auditorium 20 on the second floor of building 1 of NBU. The lecture will be in English. You can find more about the topic and speaker here: https://news.nbu.bg/bg/events/publichna-lekciq-na-anglijski-ezik-imaging-neuroscience-the-what-s-and-how-s!93483

Dear students and colleagues,

We are pleased to share that Dr. Aslı Aktan-Erciyes (Kadir Has University, Istanbul, Turkey) will be presenting a talk titled “From Causal Input to Relational Thinking: Early Acquisition Pathways and Bilingual Influences on Causative Verb Learning”
this Wednesday, January 12th in Hall 400, Building 3. The meeting will be moderated by Dr. Penka Hristova. All are welcome.

You can learn more about the speaker and the event here: https://news.nbu.bg/bg/events/seminar-na-anglijski-ezik-from-causal-input-to-relational-thinking-early-acquisition-pathways-and-bilingual-influences-on-causative-verb-learning!92417

Dear students and colleagues,

We are pleased to share that Dr. Thomas M. Lennie (American University in Bulgaria) will be presenting a talk titled “The Psychology of Music: Understanding Why We Listen And How It Affects Us this Wednesday, November 12 from 16:20 - 17:50 in Hall 607, Building 2. The meeting will be moderated by Dr. Felix Diaz. All are welcome.

You can learn more about the speaker and the event here: https://news.nbu.bg/bg/events/the-psychology-of-music-understanding-why-we-listen-and-how-it-affects-us!91599

Dear students and colleagues,

We are pleased to share that next Wednesday, October 15, at the Department Seminar, Dr. Ronni Cohen will present a talk entitled “The role of synaptic plasticity in behavior and pathology in the hippocampus”. The seminar will take place at 16:20 – 17:50 in Hall 607, Building 2. All are welcome.

See more here: https://news.nbu.bg/bg/events/seminar-rolqta-na-sinaptichnata-plastichnost-v-povedenieto-i-patologiqta-na-hipokampusa!90933

Dear students and colleagues,

We are pleased to share that next Wednesday, October 1st, at the first Department Seminar, Prof. Dr. Birgit Stürmer will present a talk entitled “Investigating action control by event-related brain potentials: From basic cognitive mechanisms to applied research”. The seminar will take place at 16:20 – 17:50 in Hall 20, Building 1. All are welcome.
See more here: https://news.nbu.bg/en/events/investigating-action-control-by-event-related-brain-potentials-from-basic-cognitive-mechanisms-to-applied-research!90232

Dear students,

We are pleased to share about the following Winter School on Migration and Social Change – MISOCHANGE that will take place January 12-23, 2026 at the University of Trento. NBU and University of Trento are Erasmus partners and our students can apply to attend the winter school.
Please see here for more information: https://eventi.unitn.it/en/misochange-winter-school

Dear colleagues,

We would like to invite you to a seminar titled:
Milliseconds of Emotion: The Role of Event-related Potentials (ERPs) in Affective Neuroscience . The seminar will be combined with a workshop about electroencephalographic (EEG) data processing and calculation of Event-Related Potentials (ERP).

The event will take place on Saturday, October 4-th, 2025 in NBU room 411, building 1 between 10:30 and 14:00. We are organising an additional hands-on session with the Brain Vision Analyzer for a restricted number of participants between 14:15 and 16:00.

Lecturer: Dr Marina Palazova, IPU Berlin

You can find more information about the event here: https://news.nbu.bg/bg/events/uyrkshop-po-nevronauki!90338

If you want to participate, please register through this link https://forms.gle/cBBxBvK3Xp85XcH8A before September 26-th, 2025.

The team of Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Cognitive Science and Psychology, NBU