I. Components of higher cognition
In our research involving healthy young adults, we examine various cognitive processes that underlie complex human behaviors, like goal-directed behavior, learning and memory, and reasoning. In particular, the lab has studied how we 1) use rules to select appropriate responses under different circumstances, 2) exert control over our behavioral responses, 3) retrieve and use relevant information from long-term memory, 4) manipulate, compare, and integrate mental representations in the service of reasoning, and 5) use prior knowledge to scaffold learning. We also examine how education shapes cognitive abilities and the brain. To investigate these phenomena, we design cognitive measures and conduct behavioral, neuroimaging, and eyetracking studies.
CURRENT PROJECTS:
1. How does the brain represent abstract concepts?
The ability to reason about the relations between sets of concepts — relational reasoning — gives rise to abstract thought, and has fueled some of humanity?s greatest achievements in science and technology. Although prior research has identified where in the brain relational reasoning takes place, this project pushes the research field by addressing how the brain represents abstract relations. Specifically, the project aims to address three key questions: (1) Can the brain represent an abstract idea independently of the concrete entities that comprise the content of the idea? (2) Do people represent concepts in an abstract manner only when explicitly required to do so, or are abstract relations also retrieved spontaneously? (3) What neural markers reliably predict differences in reasoning capacity between individuals? That is, do individuals whose brains represent abstract relations more readily also tend to have stronger reasoning skills, and/or to perceive meaningful connections that others miss?
This project was funded by the National Science Foundation (PIs: Silvia Bunge, David Kraemer, Keith Holyoak, and Hongjing Lu), and analyses are ongoing.
2. Narrowing the mechanistic gap for anterior prefrontal cortex function.
This project has been tentatively approved for funding from the National Institute on Mental Health. More details forthcoming.
II. Development and plasticity of higher cognition
In our research involving children and adolescents, we study how and why the high-level cognitive abilities outlined above change over development, how they are shaped by experiences such as education and home environment, and why some individuals develop stronger cognitive skills than others. To this end, we relate changes in higher-level cognitive abilities to brain structure and function. We also use eye gaze metrics to track thought processes on a moment-by-moment basis, so as to more carefully pinpoint the processes of change.
CURRENT PROJECT: In collaboration with professors Keanan Joyner and Fei Xu at UC Berkeley, we have recently established a new shared facility for functional near-infrared spectroscopy research. Our lab’s goals are to (1) extend our research downward in age, studying the foundations of higher-level cognition from ages 4 onward, (2) investigate how education and other experiences affect brain functioning at these earlier ages, and 3) broaden participation to children and families who are not typically included in neuroscience research.
To sign up for a current study, please look under “Participate”.