The 8th Annual meeting of the Society for the Cognitive Science of Culture was organized by the Institute of Language, Communication and the Brain, Aix-Marseille University at Aix-en-Provence, France from 22nd to 24th April 2026. The society is a collective of researchers across multiple disciplines such as cognitive science, cognitive neuroscience and psycholinguistics who come together to promote research into the role of culture on cognition.
Shreya Kishor, MSc Neural and Cognitive Sciences (2024–2026) student, presented her research carried out under the supervision of Dr. Keerthana Kapiley and Prof. Ramesh Kumar Mishra, in the form of a poster titled “Broad and Narrow Patterns of Adaptation to Linguistic and Cultural Diversity: Development of an Adaptability Index.” The study examined individual differences in adaptation to multilingual and multicultural environments through the development of a self-report adaptability index. Based on ecologically relevant scenarios, the questionnaire aimed to capture broader versus narrower patterns of adaptive regulation across social and linguistic contexts. The findings supported the development of a composite index that can be used to study adaptive engagement within multilingual and multicultural settings.
The conference brought together researchers from across the world working on topics including multilingualism, cultural transmission, communication, language processing, social interaction, and cognitive flexibility. Poster sessions, keynote lectures, and panel discussions provided opportunities for interdisciplinary exchange and discussions on emerging directions in the cognitive science of culture.
Participation in the conference provided valuable exposure to ongoing international research in social and cultural cognitive science and created opportunities to engage with leading scholars in the field. Discussions and feedback from senior researchers offered important insights that will help shape the future directions of the project. The experience also highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to understanding multilingualism, cultural diversity, and adaptive behaviour. The presentation was supported by the Action Control and Cognition Lab, University of Hyderabad, and contributed to broader conversations on how individuals negotiate linguistic and cultural diversity in increasingly interconnected societies.