A5103012460- Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
- Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment
- Social and Intergroup Psychology
- Cultural Differences and Values
- Mental Health Research Topics
- Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
- Neurological disorders and treatments
- Schizophrenia research and treatment
- Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies
- Parkinson's Disease Mechanisms and Treatments
- Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
- Economic and Environmental Valuation
- Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Neural dynamics and brain function
- Religion and Society Interactions
- Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Mental Health and Psychiatry
- Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders
- Opinion Dynamics and Social Influence
- Genetic Neurodegenerative Diseases
- Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence
City, University of London
2017-2025
University of London
2019-2023
Bridge University
2022
London School of Economics and Political Science
2020
Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging
2015-2019
University College London
2015-2019
National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery
2015-2019
Decision-making is a cognitive process of central importance for the quality our lives. Here, we ask whether common factor underpins diverse decision-making abilities. We obtained 32 measures from 830 young people and identified that call "decision acuity," which was distinct IQ reflected generic ability. Decision acuity decreased in those with aberrant thinking low general social functioning. Crucially, decision had dissociable brain signatures, terms their associated neural networks...
Although the impact of dopamine on reward learning is well documented, its influence other aspects behavior remains subject much ongoing work. Dopaminergic drugs are known to increase risk-taking behavior, but underlying mechanisms for this effect not clear. We probed dopamine's role by examining precursor L-DOPA choices healthy human participants in an experimental paradigm that allowed particular components risk be distinguished. show choice depended a baseline (ie, value-independent)...
Abstract Contextual influences on choice are ubiquitous in ecological settings. Current evidence suggests that subjective values normalized with respect to the distribution of potentially available rewards. However, how this context-sensitivity is realised brain remains unknown. To address this, here we examine functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data during performance a gambling task where blocks comprise drawn from one two different, but partially overlapping, reward...
Abstract Research has shown that stress impacts on people’s religious beliefs. However, several aspects of this effect remain poorly understood, for example regarding the role prior religiosity and stress-induced anxiety. This paper explores these in context recent coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). The latter impacted dramatically many well-being; hence it can be considered a highly stressful event. Through online questionnaires administered to UK ( n = 140) USA citizens professing either...
The amygdala is an anatomically complex medial temporal brain structure whose subregions are considered to serve distinct functions. However, their precise role in mediating human aversive experience remains ill understood. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging 39 healthy volunteers with varying levels of trait anxiety assess contributions the basolateral (BLA) and centromedial anticipation events. Additionally, we examined relationship between any identified subspecialization...
Research has shown that modernization changed people’s values. Yet, it remains unknown whether also ideological polarization, namely, the variability of values within population. The paper investigates this question by analysing data from World Value Survey about multiple countries sampled over waves (339 wave-countries). Once was operationalised as per capita gross domestic product, analyses reveal poor display greater polarization in domain economics, gender equality and immigration. This...
Decision theories mandate that organisms should adjust their behaviour in the light of contextual reward statistics. We tested this notion using a gambling choice task involving distinct contexts with different distributions. The best fitting model subjects' indicated subjective values options depended on several factors, including baseline propensity, preference dependent amount, and adaptation factor. Combining behavioural simultaneous functional magnetic resonance imaging we probed neural...
Empirical evidence suggests the incentive value of an option is affected by other options available during choice and presented in past. These contextual effects are hard to reconcile with classical theories have inspired accounts where influences play a crucial role. However, each account only addresses one or empirical findings unifying perspective has been elusive. Here, we offer theory context on attribution based normative Bayesian principles. This formulation assumes that corresponds...
Abstract Dopamine plays a key role in motivation. Phasic dopamine response reflects reinforcement prediction error (RPE), whereas tonic activity is postulated to represent an average reward that mediates motivational vigor. However, it has been hard find evidence concerning the neural encoding of uncorrupted by influences RPEs. We circumvented this difficulty novel visual search task where we measured participants' button pressing vigor context information (underlying RPE) about future was...
Substantial evidence indicates that incentive value depends on an anticipation of rewards within a given context. However, the computations underlying this context sensitivity remain unknown. To address question, we introduce normative (Bayesian) account how map to values. This assumes brain inverts model are generated. Key features our include (i) influence prior beliefs about in which delivered (weighted by their reliability Bayes-optimal fashion), (ii) notion values correspond...
Making inference under uncertainty requires an optimal weighting of prior expectations and observations. How this is realized in the brain remains elusive. To investigate this, we recorded functional neuroimaging data while participants estimated a number based on noisy Crucially, expectation about variability observations (an expected variability) was manipulated. Consistent with normative models, when novel were characterized by higher or observed variability, participants' estimates...
Initially considered as mere side effects of antipsychotic medication, there is now evidence that motor and somatosensory disturbances precede the onset illness can be found in drug-naive patients. However, research on topic scarce. Here, we were interested assessing accuracy neural signal detecting parametric variations force linked to a voluntary act received tactile sensation, either self-generated or externally generated. Patients with diagnosis schizophrenia healthy controls underwent...
Categorization is a fundamental ability for efficient behavioral control. It allows organisms to remember the correct responses categorical cues and not every stimulus encountered (hence eluding computational cost or complexity), generalize appropriate novel stimuli dependant on category assignment. Assuming brain performs Bayesian inference, based generative model of external world future goals, we propose categorization in which important properties emerge. These comprise infer latent...
Abstract Action selection in the basal ganglia is often described within framework of a standard model, associating low dopaminergic drive with motor suppression. Whilst powerful, this model does not explain several clinical and experimental data, including varying therapeutic efficacy across movement disorders. We tested predictions patients Parkinson’s disease, on off subthalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS), focussing adaptive sensory-motor responses to changing environment maintenance an...
Abstract Motivated reasoning occurs when judgements subserve motives that go beyond accuracy seeking. Substantial evidence indicates motivated political is ubiquitous. This hard to reconcile with computational theories (following Marr's terminology, describing the fundamental principles underlying a cognitive process) like Bayesian inference, because these rely on maximization. Hence, often interpreted as violating principles. Here we propose different view by offering account of which...
The external part of the globus pallidus (GPe) is a core nucleus basal ganglia (BG) whose activity disrupted under conditions low dopamine release, as in Parkinson's disease. Current models assume decreased release dorsal striatum results deactivation GPe, which turn affects motor expression via regulatory effect on other nuclei BG. However, recent studies healthy and pathological animal have reported neural dynamics that do not match with this view GPe relay BG circuit. Thus, computational...
The role of dopaminergic brain regions in avoidance behaviour is unclear. Active requires motivation, and the latter linked to increased activity regions. However, also often tethered prospect punishment, a state typically characterized by below baseline levels function. Avoidance has been considered from perspective two-factor theories where safety act as surrogate for reward, leading dopamine release enhanced motivational drive. Using fMRI we investigated predictions theory separating...
The coronavirus pandemics represent a dramatic global health emergency; exploring its cultural impact is important. We contribute to this by investigating changes in political opinions following the (focusing on UK and USA; these were examined jointly given their similarity). Online, participants (recruited via Prolific website) answered (newly created) questions probing how opinion about immigration, patriotism, welfare policies changed pandemics. Also, they indicated orientation level of...
Substantial evidence indicates that subjective value is adapted to the statistics of reward expected within a given temporal context. However, how these contextual expectations are learned poorly understood. To examine such learning, we exploited recent observation participants performing gambling task adjust their preferences as function We show that, in absence cues providing information, an average expectation was from past experience. Learning dependent on emerged when two contexts...
Research exploring the psychological differences between people supporting extreme versus moderate ideologies is growing. However, this research has rarely examined domain of values. Here, we explore by assessing possibility that political extremists discriminate more among values compared to moderates, namely, exhibit strong commitment toward some at expense other values, whereas moderates would acknowledge a multiplicity as equally important. First, propose model positing value...