Robert C. Wilson
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View article: The dynamics of explore-exploit decisions suggest a threshold mechanism for reduced random exploration in older adults
The dynamics of explore-exploit decisions suggest a threshold mechanism for reduced random exploration in older adults Open
When faced with a choice between exploring an unknown option vs exploiting an option they know well, older adults explore less and exploit more than younger adults. Recent work has suggested that one cause of this age difference in explora…
View article: Rethinking Think-Aloud in the Age of Language Models
Rethinking Think-Aloud in the Age of Language Models Open
Understanding the human mind has long been a central goal of cognitive science, yet behavioral measures such as button presses provide only indirect traces of thought. Think-Aloud protocols, where participants verbalize their reasoning, of…
View article: Rethinking Think-Aloud in the Age of Language Models
Rethinking Think-Aloud in the Age of Language Models Open
Understanding the human mind has long been a central goal of cognitive science, yet behavioral measures such as button presses provide only indirect traces of thought. Think-Aloud protocols, where participants verbalize their reasoning, of…
View article: Human Strategy Adaptation in Reinforcement Learning Resembles Policy Gradient Ascent
Human Strategy Adaptation in Reinforcement Learning Resembles Policy Gradient Ascent Open
A hallmark of intelligence is the ability to adapt behavior to changing environments, which requires adapting one’s own learning strategies. This phenomenon is known as learning to learn or meta-learning. Although well established in human…
View article: DynamicRL: Data-Driven Estimation of Trial-by-Trial Reinforcement Learning Parameters
DynamicRL: Data-Driven Estimation of Trial-by-Trial Reinforcement Learning Parameters Open
In uncertain and dynamic environments, biological agents must adapt their decision-making strategies to maximize rewards. Traditional reinforcement learning (RL) models typically assume that such adaptation is governed by dynamic value upd…
View article: Humans Learn to Weight Evidence Unevenly Over Time
Humans Learn to Weight Evidence Unevenly Over Time Open
In perceptual decision-making tasks, humans integrate noisy sensory evidence over time to guide their choices. The optimal integration process assumes that all evidence is weighted equally within a trial and that different trials are indep…
View article: Semantic influences on object detection: Drift diffusion modeling provides insights regarding mechanism
Semantic influences on object detection: Drift diffusion modeling provides insights regarding mechanism Open
Research shows that semantics, activated by words, impacts object detection. Skocypec & Peterson (2022) indexed object detection via correct reports of where figures lie in bipartite displays depicting familiar objects on one side of a bor…
View article: Humans Learn to Weight Evidence Unevenly Over Time
Humans Learn to Weight Evidence Unevenly Over Time Open
In perceptual decision-making tasks, humans integrate noisy sensory evidence over time to guide their choices. The optimal integration process assumes that all evidence is weighted equally within a trial and that different trials are indep…
View article: DynamicRL: Data-Driven Estimation of Trial-by-Trial Reinforcement Learning Parameters
DynamicRL: Data-Driven Estimation of Trial-by-Trial Reinforcement Learning Parameters Open
In uncertain and dynamic environments, biological agents must adapt their decision-making strategies to maximize rewards. Traditional reinforcement learning (RL) models typically assume that such adaptation is governed by dynamic value upd…
View article: Using Reinforcement Learning to Train Large Language Models to Explain Human Decisions
Using Reinforcement Learning to Train Large Language Models to Explain Human Decisions Open
A central goal of cognitive modeling is to develop models that not only predict human behavior but also provide insight into the underlying cognitive mechanisms. While neural network models trained on large-scale behavioral data often achi…
View article: No Effect of Chronic or Acute Pain on Working Memory in the Sternberg Task
No Effect of Chronic or Acute Pain on Working Memory in the Sternberg Task Open
Memories of pain can last a lifetime, preventing future injuries, but this comes at the expense of remembering other concurrent experiences. For acute pain this cost is outweighed by the benefits but when pain is chronic, pain memory benef…
View article: Use of inhaled corticosteroids in bronchiectasis: data from the European Bronchiectasis Registry (EMBARC)
Use of inhaled corticosteroids in bronchiectasis: data from the European Bronchiectasis Registry (EMBARC) Open
Introduction Current bronchiectasis guidelines advise against the use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) except in patients with associated asthma, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (…
View article: Flight masks of the Roman Space Telescope Coronagraph Instrument
Flight masks of the Roman Space Telescope Coronagraph Instrument Open
Over the past two decades, thousands of confirmed exoplanets have been detected. The next major challenge is to characterize these other worlds and their stellar systems. Much information on the composition and formation of exoplanets and …
View article: Centaur: a foundation model of human cognition
Centaur: a foundation model of human cognition Open
Establishing a unified theory of cognition has been a major goal of psychology. While there have been previous attempts to instantiate such theories by building computational models, we currently do not have one model that captures the hum…
View article: Centaur: a foundation model of human cognition
Centaur: a foundation model of human cognition Open
Establishing a unified theory of cognition has been a major goal of psychology. While there have been previous attempts to instantiate such theories by building computational models, we currently do not have one model that captures the hum…
View article: Modeling value integration during decision making under uncertainty: The Florida-and-Georgia (FLAG) gambling task
Modeling value integration during decision making under uncertainty: The Florida-and-Georgia (FLAG) gambling task Open
Humans frequently make decisions that involve repeated interactions under uncertain conditions in everyday life. A constellation of cognitive biases may drive such decisions. To investigate how these biases influence decision making by pot…
View article: Modeling value integration during decision making under uncertainty: The Florida-and-Georgia (FLAG) gambling task
Modeling value integration during decision making under uncertainty: The Florida-and-Georgia (FLAG) gambling task Open
Humans frequently make decisions that involve repeated interactions under uncertain conditions in everyday life. A constellation of cognitive biases may drive such decisions. To investigate how these biases influence decision making by pot…
View article: Interoceptive Accuracy Enhances Deception Detection in Older Adults
Interoceptive Accuracy Enhances Deception Detection in Older Adults Open
Objectives Difficulties with deception detection may leave older adults especially vulnerable to fraud. Interoception, i.e., the awareness of one’s bodily signals, has been shown to influence deception detection, but this relationship has …
View article: Phishing vulnerability compounded by older age, apolipoprotein E e4 genotype, and lower cognition
Phishing vulnerability compounded by older age, apolipoprotein E e4 genotype, and lower cognition Open
With technological advancements, financial exploitation tactics have expanded into the online realm. Older adults may be particularly susceptible to online scams due to age- and Alzheimer's disease-related changes in cognition. In this stu…
View article: Semantic Influences on Object Detection: Drift Diffusion Modeling Provides Insights Regarding Mechanism
Semantic Influences on Object Detection: Drift Diffusion Modeling Provides Insights Regarding Mechanism Open
Research shows that semantics, activated by words, impacts object detection. Skocypec & Peterson (2022) indexed object detection via correct reports of where figures lie in bipartite displays depicting familiar objects on one side of a bor…
View article: The influence of anxiety on exploration: A review of computational modeling studies
The influence of anxiety on exploration: A review of computational modeling studies Open
Exploratory behaviors can serve an adaptive role within novel or changing environments. Namely, they facilitate information gain, allowing an organism to maintain accurate beliefs about the environment and select actions that better maximi…
View article: Directed exploration is reduced by an aversive interoceptive state induction in healthy individuals but not in those with affective disorders
Directed exploration is reduced by an aversive interoceptive state induction in healthy individuals but not in those with affective disorders Open
Elevated anxiety and uncertainty avoidance are known to exacerbate maladaptive choice in individuals with affective disorders. However, the differential roles of state vs. trait anxiety remain unclear, and underlying computational mechanis…
View article: Individuals with Methamphetamine Use Disorder Show Reduced Directed Exploration and Learning Rates Independent of an Aversive Interoceptive State Induction
Individuals with Methamphetamine Use Disorder Show Reduced Directed Exploration and Learning Rates Independent of an Aversive Interoceptive State Induction Open
Methamphetamine Use Disorder (MUD) is associated with substantially reduced quality of life. Yet, decisions to use persist, due in part to avoidance of anticipated withdrawal states. However, the specific cognitive mechanisms underlying th…