News & Publications | Cognitive Neuroscience Hub

Does the signal suppression hypothesis resolve the decade long attentional capture debate theories?

Listen to the talk by Dr Giorgio Fuggetta about how his recent work using feature salient singletons sheds new light on the attentional capture model debate: is it stimulus-driven? is it goal-dependent? is it a hybrid model?

Celebrating ARC Future Fellowships awardee!

Congratulations to Dr Natalia Brumley, our Hub's Deputy Director, on an incredible success on securing an ARC Future Fellowship grant! Her interdisciplinary project will deliver significant insights into how poor sleep changes the brain to increase pain sensitivity in healthy adults. Read more about her project and other successful applicants!

Brain waves (resting EEG) could act as an indicator of cognitive health

Read about the new publication co-authored by Dr Daniel Feuerriegel that speaks to the link between human brain waves (resting EEG) and cognitive performance in middle age to older age individuals.

A new neurally-inspired dual diffusion model

Prof Philip Smith introduces and evaluates a new neurally-inspired dual diffusion model, the linear drift, linear infinitesimal variance (LDLIV) model, which embodies three features often thought to characterize neural mechanisms of decision making.

App for hazardous drinker

Struggling to help someone who's a hazardous drinker? A smartphone app could help. Read more about it in this new research by Antoinette, Rob Hester and team.

The pain of not knowing

A/Prof Stefan Bode, Dr Natalia Brumley and team presents new research suggesting that we might choose to endure physical pain over the ‘pain of not knowing’ when it comes to finding out useless information faster.

Renewed partnership! Joint PhD JUMPA program

The Jülich-University of Melbourne Postgraduate Academy (JUMPA) is a partnership between Melbourne, the Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH (FZJ/Jülich Research Centre) and its affiliate universities. A/Prof Stefan Bode is the academic lead of the program. Get in touch to find out about PhD opportunities!

New publication: Positive emotions and their upregulation increase willingness to consume healthy foods

This paper stems from Dr Elektra Schubert's PhD project. Her work shows that experiencing positive emotions increases desire particularly strongly for healthy foods, which can additionally be modulated via emotion regulation. This has important implications for designing health-related interventions targeting mood improvement

New publication: Iron supplement alters resting brain activity in Bangladeshi children

Anemia and iron deficiency have been associated with poor child cognitive development. This study looked into the effects of supplementation with iron or multiple micronutrient powders (MNPs) on brain activity measures using resting electroencephalography (EEG).

New publication: Short duration event related cerebellar TDCS enhances visuomotor adaptation

Dr Sophie Lin co-authors a paper suggesting that ErTDCS may be a useful new protocol to dissect task components of learning.

New publication: Perceived severity of Visual Snow Syndrome is associated with visual allodynia

Amy Thompson, Patrick Goodbourn and Jason Forte reports that sensory hypersensitivity may be prevalent in people with VSS and indicate that visual allodynia is associated with increased severity of VSS.

Brain white matter declines for years after a stroke

Dr Natalia Brumley tells that the loss of brain white matter and associated cognitive decline is faster for at least three years after a stroke.

Divergent effects of absolute evidence magnitude on decision accuracy and confidence in perceptual judgements

PhD Student Yiuhong Ko, Dr Daniel Feuerriegel, and team share how the brightness of an image affect our sense of confidence in our decisions.

Beneath the Surface and Inside Out: exploring neuroscience through art

Textile artist Chrys Zantis and A/Prof Marta Garrido discuss the connection – and potential disconnect – between the brain’s internal and external worlds is explored in artworks that combine textiles and neuroscience.

New publication alert - Tracking dynamic adjustments to decision making and performance monitoring processes in conflict tasks

Dr Daniel Feuerriegel and team discuss how we rapidly adjust our decision-making strategies after response conflict.

The difficulty with measuring creativity

In his new collaborative research, Dr Simon Cropper discusses how one can go about measuring the multifaceted and unique human quality that is creativity without killing it completely.

Did time slow down in lockdown?

Dr Hinze Hogendoorn discusses how and why the COVID-19 pandemic has messed with our brain's sense of time.

Victorian COVID-19 restrictions like masks will remain for months — but we have to beat complacency

Have we begun to assess our own personal risk based on local case numbers rather than adhere to public health advice? ABC News spoke to Dr Daniel Feuerriegel about mask compliance on trains.

Do you think better when you're moving?

Dr Jason Forte discusses why we think better when we're moving

There is no "normal"

Dr Simon Cropper proposes that we achieve meaning in the world through reconstruction of signals absorbed by our senses into some coherent sense of what we see as reality. Part exhibition, part experiment, MENTAL is a welcoming place to confront societal bias and stereotypes about mental health.

New publication alert - Altered Visual Function in a Larval Zebrafish Knockout of Neurodevelopmental Risk Gene pdzk1

PhD Student Jiaheng Xie, Dr Patrick Goodbourn and team discuss their findings on altered visual function in a larval zebrafish knockout of neurodevelopmental risk gene pdzk1

New preprint alert - Neural correlates of metacognition across the adult lifespan

PhD Students Helen Overhoff and YiuHong Ko, along with A/Prof Stefan Bode, Dr Daniel Feuerriegel and team discuss their findings on ERPs of error detection and confidence in healthy ageing.

New publication alert - General and specific graphic health warning labels reduce willingness to consume sugar-sweetened beverages

PhD Student Elektra Schubert, A/Prof Stefan Bode, collaborators from Cancer Council Victoria and team found that health warning labels on sugary drinks decrease people's desire to consume them, but don't strongly modulate craving-related neural responses

May Lecture Series 2017: Is your brain a slave to sense?

Catch Decision Science Hub's Dr Simon Cropper's presentation titled "Is your brain a slave to sense" in the MSPS May Lecture series.

Does the smell of blood make us hungry?

A pilot research project provides a tantalising hint that the scent of blood may enhance our appetite for food...even vegetables

Would graphic warnings on unhealthy food make you think again?

A new study shows that health warnings on packaged foods can help us make healthier choices – but it’s negative messaging that really drives the point home

ACNS Conference 2018

Jülich - University of Melbourne Postgraduate Academy program is launches

How difficult decisions change our brains

New research finds that making a difficult choice between two equally desirable options can change the way our brains think about future preferences.

National science challenge seeks to get inside your head

Researchers have teamed up with the ABC to investigate the kind of sudden problem-solving insight that makes people spontaneously exclaim “yes” or “at last” or, indeed, “aha!”

Talkback – bottling the magic of 'aha' moments

Do you ever get confused when you're struggling with a difficult subject, only to have everything click into place with sudden and certain clarity?

National Science Week

Spearheaded by Dr Simon Cropper, the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences left an incredible footprint on National Science Week in 2019, with our most impactful contribution yet.

Associate Professor Stefan Bode wins 2019 Young Investigator Award

Unlocking the secret to changing our minds

New research tracks the neural patterns that allow us to change our minds. Understanding this could open up the possibility of more advanced artificial intelligence

The 2019 Aubrey Lewis Award goes to Marta Garrido

Spotlight on Decision Science Fellow Dr Daniel Feuerriegel

Dr Daniel Feuerriegel was recently named the School’s new Decision Science Fellow in recognition of his exciting work on human perception and decision making. We recently sat down him to learn a little bit more about his research work with the Decision Science Hub.

Why we buy: the brain science behind our decisions

“Even a short exposure to very popular brands shifts your decision-making,” Bode explains. “We have found that when you buy something you really like, you want to keep rewarding yourself.

November 26th - International Guest Lecture from A/Prof Xiaosi Gu

Modeling Subjective Belief States in Computational Psychiatry: Interoceptive Inference as a Candidate Framework

Anticipating our emotions

PhD student Elektra Shubert and A/Prof Stefan Bode from the Decision Neuroscience Lab share new findings on their recent EEG study which suggest that we prepare ourselves for upcoming situations in which we need to control our emotions for.

Dr Hinze Hogendoorn awarded ARC Future Fellowship 2020

DSH Seminar Series 2020 (June)

Dr Ilvana Dzafic presents ongoing findings from research project titled "Neural Dynamics of Sensory Learning across the Psychosis Continuum".

Brains, technology, policy and wellbeing

Join ABC RN Talkfest to hear Decision Science Hub's A/Prof Olivia Carter explore the ways in which technology is changing our human experience and the human brain.

Why do different cultures see such similar meanings in the constellations?

Recent article in the conversation by hub members, Dr Simon Cropper and A/Prof Daniel Little, and colleagues discuss the meaning we find in the night sky.

DSH Interview Series: Dr Simon Lilburn

Dr Simon Lilburn shares recent research at the Vision and Attention Lab and tips on how to read and write manuscripts and papers.

DSH Interview Series: A/Prof Marta Garrido

The DSH has launched it's first interview with A/Prof Marta Garrido as she shared about her background and research career, thoughts and advice on online conferences and developing good research habits.

Papers please: Predictive factors for the uptake of national and international COVID-19 immunity and vaccination passports

New publication alert - Dr Paul Garrett and his team of international researchers investigate whether people support Immunity & Vaccination passports, and why.

This simple word test reveals how creative you are, scientists say

Researchers Dr Simon Cropper and Honorary Fellow Dr Margaret Webb along with researchers from Harvard University and McGill University have created this simple word test that can reveal how creative you are. It only takes a few minutes and involves thinking of 10 nouns that are unrelated to one another and as far apart in meaning as possible.

Postdoc position available for ARC-funded project on prediction in visual processing

The TimingLab, led my Deputy Director, Dr Hinze Hogendoorn, is recruiting a postdoctoral research fellow to conduct EEG decoding, behaviour, and modelling to investigate how the brain allows us to experience the world in real-time.

Information Session: Conducting Research in Germany

The Decision Science Hub will be co-hosting an information session to showcase the funding opportunities available to conduct research in Germany, including research grants currently open for applications. Register here

Decision Science Hub Interview Series: A/Prof Katherine Johnson

A/Prof Katherine Johnson brings us on her journey that kicked off with a PhD, then leaving academia for a job in industry, returning to academia in the UK and Ireland, before coming back home to Melbourne. She also shares some of her ongoing research, how COVID-19 has changed her lifestyle, and shares quick tips for honours students who are about a month away from thesis submission.

MSPS Industry Career Pathways Series

MSPS has put together a series of events discussing Industry Career Pathways for PhD, postdoc and honours students. A range of activities including panel discussions and interviews will take place over September and October 2020. Register now.

Better Multitasking Takes Practice

New research by hub member, Marta Garrido, and Kelly Garner and Paul Dux from UQ, show that multitasking involves more of the brain than previously thought, which might also explain why practice improves performance.

Brain stimulation reduces aggression, boosts moral judgment in human trial

Dr Jason Forte weighs in on the challenges and ethical implications of using brain stimulation to reduce aggression.

Fake Out: Citizen Science Challenge

Got 15 mins to spare and your computer handy? New study by Decision Science Hub's Dr Simon Cropper and team investigate people's abilities to detect fake videos, known as deepfakes, and the aspects that give them away. Test out your ability to spot deepfakes via their survey.

How Brain Rhythms Can Reveal Your Personality

Decision Science Hub Fellow, Daniel Feuerriegel, and PhD student Hayley Jach and A/Prof Luke Smillie share findings from their new study, showing how machine learning can be used to predict aspects of a person’s personality from their electrical brain rhythms.

Research Check: Can Even Moderate Drinking Cause Brain Damage?

Heavy alcohol consumption over ten years or more can cause significant brain function problems. But what about casual drinking? Decision Science Hub's Prof Rob Hester addresses this quesiton in a recent article in the Conversation.

DSH Interview Series: Dr Natalia Egorova

Dr Natalia Egorova shares about her current work and vast experiences studying and working in the UK, USA, Europe and Australia. She also shares the importance of being up to date with newer neuroimaging techniques and technologies.

What you’re seeing right now is the past, so your brain is predicting the present

In a recent article in the Conversation, Dr Hinze Hogendoorn explains why information available to our conscious experience is always outdated, why we don't notice these delays, and how the brain allow us to feel like we are experiencing the world in real time.

Turn down for what? Why you turn down the radio when you’re trying to park your car

In a recent article in The Conversation, Dr Simon Lilburn and Prof Philip Smith share recent research that suggests that we have a limited capacity to process information when processing information for meaning, rather than being aware of its presence.

May Lecture Series 2018: ADHD and Attention Control

Catch Decision Science Hub's Katherine Johnson deliver a lecture on attentional control amongst individuals with ADHD and ways to improve attentional control through exposure to natural spaces such as green roofs and green walls.

Dr Hinze Hogendoorn wins ACNS 2020 Young Investigator Award

Deepfake videos increasingly difficult to detect as people, computers struggle to keep up

With the increasing number of Deepfakes going viral online, DSH's Dr Simon Cropper believes that people could be given training to distinguish real videos from fakes.

DSH Interview Series: Dr Daniel Feuerriegel

Dr Daniel Feuerriegel speaks about his humble beginnings in academia and how he found his way to the University of Melbourne as the Decision Science Hub Fellow. Apart from sharing some of his research interests around the intersection between prediction and decision-making, Daniel highlights the importance and advantages of having expertise in cognitive neuroscience research methods, such as EEG, fMRI, and computational modelling, and how to go about developing such expertise.

Behind The News Classroom Episode with Dr Simon Cropper

A new study’s found deepfake videos are becoming more common, and harder to detect. Dr Simon Cropper breaks it down for us on this fab episode of Behind The News - an education program for 10 - 13 year olds.

Will I or won’t I? Scientists still haven’t figured out free will, but they’re having fun trying

Social media algorithms, artificial intelligence, and our own genetics are among the factors influencing us beyond our awareness. Stefan Bode addresses the ancient question: do we have control over our own lives?

Prof Philip Smith: ARC Discovery Project 2021 Recipient

Elektra Schubert and Matthew Jiwa named Young Investigator Award Recipients at the MDHS Graduate Research Conference 2020

ABC Counterpoint Radio Interview with A/Prof Stefan Bode

In a recent ABC Radio interview, A/Prof Stefan Bode speaks about a 1983 experiment that found that "brain activity preceded reported intentions to move by around half a second". Stefan argues that there are both external and internal factors that influence us, from which we can never fully escape — our previous decisions, our memories, desires, wishes and goals, all of which are represented in the brain.

DSH Interview Series: A/Prof Stefan Bode

A/Prof Stefan Bode speaks about his journey that began in Germany and how he ended up at the University of Melbourne as the Decision Science Hub Director. Stefan shares about his passion for neuroimaging techniques that he uses in his research and how he grew to love research within the field of cognitive neuroscience.

DSH Seminar Series 2020 (Nov)

PhD Student, Will Turner, presents findings from current PhD work which suggests that forgone physical effort expenditure can inflate decision confidence.

MDHS Graduate Research Conference 2020

Feel drained after a year of Zoom meetings? There's brain science behind that fatigue

Feel drained after a year of Zoom meetings? Prof Philip Smith says 'We're dealing with a speech signal that's degraded relative to face-to-face speech, even with a good internet connection, so the cognitive load required to process or decode it is greater.'

New Publication Alert: Stronger Top-Down and Weaker Bottom-Up Frontotemporal Connections During Sensory Learning Are Associated With Severity of Psychotic Phenomena

New article published in the schizophrenia bulletin by hub members Ilvanna Dzafic, Marta Garrido, Olivia Carter and team finding an interplay between Top-Down and Bottom-Up connections as psychotic phenomena increased.

New Preprint Alert: Predictive activation of sensory representations as a source of evidence in perceptual decision-making

Hub members Daniel Feuerriegel, Hinze Hogendoorn and PhD student Tessel Blom explore how do our expectations influence our decision-making and conscious experience in a recent viewpoint paper.

New Preprint Alert: An initial ‘snapshot’ of sensory information biases the likelihood and speed of subsequent changes of mind

Hub members Daniel Feuerriegel, Rob Hester, Stefan Bode and PhD student William Turner found that changes of mind decisions can be tracked in their information usage patterns AND that the strength of even the very first frame of evidence was associated with the speed and likelihood of later changes of mind

Motion Extrapolation in Visual Processing: Lessons from 25 Years of Flash-Lag Debate

In this viewpoint article, hub member Hinze Hogendoorn provides key insights into the lessons learnt from 25 years of the flash-lag debate

Zoom Fatigue: Did that affect the infamous cat lawyer?

Hub member Prof Philip Smith speculates the psychology behind the infamous 'cat lawyer' in SBS's The Feed.

DSH Roundtable Talks 2021 (Feb)

Hub member, Dr Miriam Mosing, presents her findings from recent work investigating the gene-environment interplay in skill acquisition, using music as a model behaviour.

A salience misattribution model for addictive-like behaviors

Hub members Marta Garrido, Rob Hester, and PhD Student, Shivam Kalhan, propose a framework to discuss ways in which behaviour may be made more adaptive and how the framework may be supported or falsified experimentally.

New Publication Alert: Evaluating the evidence for expectation suppression in the visual system

In this new publication, hub member Daniel Feuerriegel evaluates the evidence for how our expectations shape neuronal activity in the visual system.

New Publication Alert: Choosing increases the value of non-instrumental information

New article published Nature by Stefan Bode and PhD student Matt Jiwa and team that suggests that people are more curious about outcomes pertaining to their own decisions rather than externa events.

DSH Roundtable Talks 2021 (March)

Dr Amanda Robinson (The University of Sydney) presents her work on the temporal dynamics of information processing within and across the hemispheres.

DSH Special Talks - Prof Clare Press

Special guest, Prof Clare Press (Birkbeck, University of London) speaks about how we render our experiences, both veridical and informative.

Decision Science Hub members clinch several prestigious prizes at MSPS Staff Awards 2021

World Science Festival Brisbane: Mind Altering Medicines

Could psychedelic drugs be the powerful medicine we have been looking for? Professor Olivia Carter discusses this on a panel that explores this idea at the World Science Festival Brisbane 2021

DSH Roundtable Talks 2021 (May)

Prof Agnieszka Tymula (The University of Sydney) presents a descriptive model of choice with normative foundations based on how the brain is thought to represent value.

DSH Roundtable Talks 2021 (June)

Dr Jacob Paul (The University of Melbourne) presents four of his recent projects using Ultra-high resolution (7 Tesla) fMRI combined with population receptive field modelling that suggest a widespread network of brain areas that selectively process quantities, such as numerosity (object number) and object size, which are organised as topographic maps.