Research Scientists

Dr. Wendelken's research focuses on disentangling the neural mechanisms that support complex reasoning and cognitive control. In his computer science dissertation research (UC-Berkeley) he extended the SHRUTI connectionist architecture to create a neurobiologically inspired model of decision-making and cognitive control. Computational  modeling has been directed at understanding working memory, and has shown that working memory for structured information can be supported by joint the joint operation of control circuits in lateral PFC and spatial representations in superior parietal cortex. Recent fMRI studies have examined the implications of this model, and confirmed its main predictions. The role of anterior prefrontal cortex in reasoning has been another main topic of interest. Recent fMRI studies have shown that this region is engaged by relational integration, or second-order relational processing, when multiple relational representations must be jointly considered.