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
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 CiteBeyond 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 CiteContextual 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 CiteRecent 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 - 2029Neurocognitive mechanisms of control over cognitive stability and flexibility
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of Mental Health · 2023 - 2028Mechanisms Regulating Complex Social Behavior
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by University of Pennsylvania · 2016 - 2026View All Grants
Education, Training & Certifications
University of London (United Kingdom) ·
2002
Ph.D.
University of London (United Kingdom) ·
1999
B.S.