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Tobias Egner CV

Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience
Psychology & Neuroscience
Duke Box 90999, Durham, NC 27708-0999
LSRC B246, Durham, NC 27708
CV

Overview


My research focuses on the computational and neural mechanisms of cognitive control, the use of internal goals to guide behavior. This involves understanding how people configure and focus on a current task, and how they switch from one task to another. We study these processes using behavioral experiments as well as computational modeling, neuroimaging, and neurostimulation techniques.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience · 2020 - Present Psychology & Neuroscience, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Chair of Psychology and Neuroscience · 2024 - Present Psychology & Neuroscience, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Investigator in the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences · 2009 - Present Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, University Institutes and Centers
Member of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience · 2009 - Present Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences
Affiliate of the Center for Brain Imaging and Analysis · 2010 - Present Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Institutes and Centers
Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society · 2017 - Present Duke Science & Society, University Initiatives & Academic Support Units

In the News


Published July 8, 2019
Your Brain Likes You Most
Published March 13, 2019
It's Not Your Fault -- Your Brain is Self-Centered
Published January 25, 2017
Triggering the Brains "Auto-Focus"

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Recent Publications


One-shot stimulus-control associations generalize over different stimulus viewpoints and exemplars.

Journal Article Memory & cognition · February 2025 Cognitive control processes are central to adaptive behavior, but how control is applied in a context-appropriate manner is not fully understood. One way to produce context-sensitive control is by mnemonically linking particular control settings to specifi ... Full text Cite

Beyond stimulus-response rules: Task sets incorporate information about performance difficulty.

Journal Article Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition · January 2025 The capacity for goal-directed behavior relies on the generation and implementation of task sets. While task sets are traditionally defined as mnemonic ensembles linking task goals to stimulus-response mappings, we here asked the question whether they may ... Full text Cite

Contextual control demands determine whether stability and flexibility trade off against each other.

Journal Article Attention, perception & psychophysics · October 2024 Cognitive stability, the ability to focus on a current task, and cognitive flexibility, the ability to switch between different tasks, are traditionally conceptualized as opposing end-points on a one-dimensional continuum. This assumption obligates a stabi ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


Duke-NCCU Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Training Program in Child Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Conditions Program (DN-IPT)

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEPreceptor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2029

Neurocognitive mechanisms of control over cognitive stability and flexibility

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of Mental Health · 2023 - 2028

Mechanisms Regulating Complex Social Behavior

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by University of Pennsylvania · 2016 - 2026

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Education, Training & Certifications


University of London (United Kingdom) · 2002 Ph.D.
University of London (United Kingdom) · 1999 B.S.