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SUMMARY:Bridging Neural and Computational Viewpoints on Perceptual Decisio
 n Making - Dr Redmond O'Connell\, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscienc
 e and School of Psychology\, Trinity College Dublin
DTSTART:20190426T110000Z
DTEND:20190426T123000Z
UID:TALK121174@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Louise White
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: Decades of mathematical psychology research have yie
 lded a powerful set of computational models for explaining how perceptual 
 decisions are forged in the brain. These 'sequential sampling' models come
  in many forms which\, thus far\, have been evaluated based on their abili
 ty to quantitatively account for behavioural data. However\, as recent con
 troversies highlight\, any two model variants can make highly similar beha
 vioural predictions despite invoking fundamentally different algorithmic e
 lements. This is of particular concern in light of the rapid increase in t
 he adoption of sequential sampling models in psychiatry and in functional 
 neuroimaging research where the choice of model to employ in a given study
  may have a major bearing on the results. These challenges can be potentia
 lly overcome by also considering the ability of a model to capture key obs
 ervable aspects of the biological implementation of the decision process: 
 where two models may produce the same behavioural trends\, they frequently
  make distinguishable predictions regarding the associated decision-relate
 d neural dynamics. It is only very recently that it has become possible to
  explore these possibilities using human data owing to the discovery of no
 n-invasively recorded brain signals that reflect the key processing levels
  underpinning decision formation. I will present recent work from our lab 
 demonstrating how these signals can be used to directly inform the constru
 ction and validation of mathematical decision models that can account for 
 two important phenomena: speed-accuracy tradeoffs and age-related cognitiv
 e decline.\n\nBio: Redmond O’Connell is Associate Professor at Trinity C
 ollege Dublin where he is a principal investigator at the Trinity College 
 Institute of Neuroscience and Director of Research at the School of Psycho
 logy. Redmond received his PhD from Trinity College in 2007 and completed 
 a postdoctoral fellowship at the Queensland Brain Institute\, Brisbane bef
 ore returning to Trinity where he was appointed to faculty in 2011. His re
 search is directed toward understanding the neural mechanisms underpinning
  decision making and meta-cognition. This work comprises both basic and tr
 anslational research and employs a range of psychophysiological techniques
  (e.g. EEG\, fMRI\, pupillometry) alongside computational modelling. His l
 aboratory has published extensively on perceptual decision making\, perfor
 mance monitoring\, and attention. Redmond is an adjunct senior research fe
 llow at Monash University\, Melbourne and currently holds a European Resea
 rch Council Starting Grant (2015-2020). His laboratory has received fundin
 g from the National Science Foundation\, Science Foundation Ireland and th
 e Brain and Behavior Research Foundation.\n
LOCATION:Ground Floor Lecture Theatre\, Department of Psychology
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