Problem solving

A problem is a situation in which a human seeks to attain a given goal without knowing how to achieve it. Example problems include winning at tic-tac-toe or winning a battle, air traffic control, control of an uninhabited vehicle, getting to checkmate in chess, visually-guided navigation, proving a logic theorem, solving math and physics problems, cracking the enigma code, or formulating a new scientific theory. Some problems are more visual, such as planning the tour around a grocery store, while others are more abstract, such as proving a theorem using predicate logic. The current project explores the role of representation in problem solving using computational modeling combined with psychophysical experiments. You can learn more more about this research here and here.

Effort and cognitive control

Mounting evidence suggests that daily cognitive activity is achieved using different psychological and biological systems. While existing multiple-system theories and models may disagree about the number or nature of the different systems, all assume that people can switch between systems seamlessly. However, little empirical data has been collected to test this assumption, and recent available data suggest that system-switching is difficult. The main goals of this project are to identify factors influencing the proportion of participants who successfully learn to switch between systems and better characterize individual differences. You can learn more about this topic here and here.

Neuroeconomics, valuation, and cognitive function

In neuroeconomics, valuation refers to the process of assigning values to states and actions based on the animal's current representation of the environment while reward processing corresponds to processing the feedback received from the environment to update the values of states and actions. This project explores how these fundamental processes affect various cognitive functions. Specifically, we focus on the role of valuation and reward processing in attention, memory, decision-making, and learning. Another goal of this project is to explore how deficits in cognitive functions observed in a number of psychiatric disorders (e.g., addiction, pathological gambling, schizophrenia, and mood disorders) can be explained in terms of abnormal valuation and reward processing. You can here learn more about this project here or here.