The desire for knowledge: Neural mechanisms of information-seeking. This project aims to determine the mechanisms that drive individuals to seek out information, and to characterise the neural processes that underlie how that information is valued. The project tests the idea that information is represented in the brain as a form of reward. The results are expected to contribute significant mechanistic insights at the level of brain and behaviour on the nature of information value. This is likely ....The desire for knowledge: Neural mechanisms of information-seeking. This project aims to determine the mechanisms that drive individuals to seek out information, and to characterise the neural processes that underlie how that information is valued. The project tests the idea that information is represented in the brain as a form of reward. The results are expected to contribute significant mechanistic insights at the level of brain and behaviour on the nature of information value. This is likely to have wide-ranging implications across multiple domains of human endeavour, including education, work-place efficiency, policy development, and consumer behaviour.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220101508
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$447,000.00
Summary
A Brain-Behaviour Model of Decision-Making Under Distraction. People make thousands of decisions each day, such as judging whether it is safe to cross the street at a busy intersection. This project aims to investigate how decision-making is impacted when a person is temporarily distracted, for example when receiving a text message alert from one’s phone. By combining recordings of brain activity with cutting-edge mathematical modelling techniques, this project expects to develop a novel theoret ....A Brain-Behaviour Model of Decision-Making Under Distraction. People make thousands of decisions each day, such as judging whether it is safe to cross the street at a busy intersection. This project aims to investigate how decision-making is impacted when a person is temporarily distracted, for example when receiving a text message alert from one’s phone. By combining recordings of brain activity with cutting-edge mathematical modelling techniques, this project expects to develop a novel theoretical framework that captures the effects of distraction on brain networks that underpin human decision-making performance. This knowledge should be highly beneficial for developing informed policies that reduce effects of distraction and preserve decision-making capacity in safety critical situations.Read moreRead less
Improving the diagnosticity of eyewitness memory choices. Eyewitness identification error is common and costly. This project aims to improve the quality of information provided by eyewitnesses, and the ability of police officers and triers of fact (e.g., juries, judges) to evaluate this information. Laboratory investigations will determine how best to test memory and confidence to achieve this aim. A new class of cognitive models will provide a unified account of response accuracy, response time ....Improving the diagnosticity of eyewitness memory choices. Eyewitness identification error is common and costly. This project aims to improve the quality of information provided by eyewitnesses, and the ability of police officers and triers of fact (e.g., juries, judges) to evaluate this information. Laboratory investigations will determine how best to test memory and confidence to achieve this aim. A new class of cognitive models will provide a unified account of response accuracy, response time, and confidence, suitable for application to computerized testing scenarios. The models and testing methods validated in the laboratory will be refined for application in eyewitness memory settings, facilitating better evaluation of identification evidence, and potentially reducing wrongful convictions.Read moreRead less