News & Publications | Cognitive Neuroscience Hub

Introducing Dr Paul Garrett: Our CNH May Feature Story

New Article in La Presse: How Can we Explain the Cries of Pain?

A recent French-language article from La Presse explores the science behind why humans vocalise pain, featuring insights from Hub Director A/Prof Natalia Egorova-Brumley on how the brain processes pain, emotion, and social communication.

Introducing the Prediction and Decision-Making Lab: Our CNH April Feature Story

New Publication: Objective Sleep Efficiency Moderates the Association Between Depressive Symptoms and Experimental Heat Pain Sensitivity in Pain-Free Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

Junyi Pan, Adrian Gonzales, Mingge Shi and A/Prof Natalia Egorova-Brumley found that objective sleep quality (sleep efficiency) shapes how strongly depressive symptoms are linked to pain sensitivity, with poorer sleep amplifying this relationship in otherwise healthy adults.

New Article in The Conversation: Are we Ever Truly Free to Make Decisions?

Lauren Fong and Dr Daniel Feuerriegel were featured in a recent article in The Conversation, exploring how our brains begin forming decisions before we’re consciously aware, revealing decision-making as a gradual neural process rather than a single moment of choice.

New Publication: Pulvinar–Posterior Superior Temporal Sulcus Connectivity Contributes to Non-Conscious Emotion Processing in Affective Blindsight

A new publication by Prabhakar Singh, Prof Olivia Carter, Prof Marta Garrido and colleagues shows that communication between key brain regions enables the brain to process emotional signals even without conscious awareness, revealing how emotion perception can occur behind the scenes in the brain.

New Publication: Time to Wake up to the Potential Benefits of Targeting Sleep in Osteoarthritis Management

A/Prof Natalia Egorova-Brumley and colleagues examined how sleep disruption influences central pain processing mechanisms in osteoarthritis, highlighting that targeting sleep could translate into meaningful real-world improvements in pain, function, and overall quality of life.

New Article in The Conversation: How Fuzzy Memories Improve Decision-Making

A new piece in The Conversation highlights research from our Vision and Attention Lab, published in Computational Brain & Behavior by Dr Paul Garrett and colleagues. It shows that even imprecise, 'fuzzy' memories can support effective decision-making, reflecting how recall and recognition share limited cognitive resources.

New Publication: Double-decision Response Time Models of Recall and Recognition Support Resource Accounts of Visual Working Memory

Dr Paul Garrett, Anthony Lua, Dr Daniel Feuerriegel, Prof Daniel Little and Prof Philip Smith used response time models of recall and recognition to show how visual working memory performance reflects shared cognitive resources.

New Publication: Can Systematic Drift Rate Variability Replace Random Variability in the Diffusion Decision Model?

Jie Sun, Dr Daniel Feuerriegel and A/Prof Adam Osth examined whether systematic variability in drift rates can better explain decision-making processes within the diffusion decision model in this new publication.

New Publication: Tracing the Neural Trajectories of Evidence Accumulation and Motor Preparation Processes During Voluntary Decisions

Lauren Fong, Dr Paul Garrett, Prof Philip Smith, Prof Rob Hester, Dr Daniel Feuerriegel and colleague used EEG to track how evidence accumulation and motor preparation unfold over time during voluntary decision-making.

First Whole-Head OPM-MEG Facility in the Southern Hemisphere Launched at University of Melbourne

Prof Marta Garrido Featured on OHBM Podcast: Predictive Coding, Psychosis, and MEG Innovation

In a recent podcast interview with the Organization for Human Brain Mapping, Prof Marta Garrido discusses predictive coding, psychosis, her journey into neuroscience, and the development of Australia’s first optically pumped MEG system.

New Publication: Sex-Specific Effects of Naturally Shorter Sleep on Experimental Pain Perception

A new study conducted by Shima Rouhi, Prof Amy Jordan and hub director A/Prof Natalia Egorova-Brumley investigated how naturally shorter sleep influences experimental pain responses, revealing sex-specific differences.

Introducing Dr Matt Jiwa: Our CNH March Feature Story

New Publication: Psychedelics in Functional Disorders: A Scoping review

A new publication by Dr Chiranth Bhagavan and Prof Olivia Carter looked at research on psychedelics in functional disorders and found early evidence of potential symptom improvement.

New Publication: Understanding the Relationship Between Sleep, Psychological and Musculoskeletal Health From a Neuroimmune Perspective

A new paper by A/Prof Natalia Egorova-Brumley and colleagues shows that sleep, mental wellbeing and musculoskeletal health are linked through shared neuroimmune pathways, helping explain how poor sleep and psychological distress can drive ongoing pain and physical problems.

Introducing Professor Philip Smith: Our CNH February Feature Story

New Publication: Expectation Effects Based on Newly Learnt Object-Scene Associations Are Modulated by Spatial Frequency

A new paper led by Morgan Kikkawa, with Dr Daniel Feuerriegel and Prof Marta Garrido, shows that newly learned object‑scene expectations influence early brain responses without changing how objects themselves are represented, and that these effects depend on the type of visual detail in the scene.

Dr Antoinette Poulton Featured in International SAA Newsletter

Dr Antoinette Poulton’s research on smartphone-based, real-world cognitive assessment was featured in the International Society for Ambulatory Assessment newsletter, highlighting the benefits and future potential of measuring cognition outside the laboratory.

Children Aged 7-13 Needed for Study on the Development of Metacognitive Control

New Publication: Effective Connectivity Reveals Dual-Route Mechanism of Visual Prediction Precision via Insula and Pulvinar

A new paper led by Linzhi Tao, with Prof Marta Garrido and colleagues, reveals two brain pathways involving the insula and pulvinar that help the visual system balance predictions with incoming sensory information.

New Publication: Associations Between Contralesional Neuroplasticity and Motor Impairment Through Deep Learning-Derived MRI Regional Brain Age in Chronic Stroke (ENIGMA): A Multicohort, Retrospective, Observational Study

New ENIGMA research, with contributions from our own A/Prof Natalia Egorova-Brumley, shows that changes in the “unaffected” side of the brain after stroke are linked to motor difficulties and could help guide more personalised rehabilitation.

Congratulations to Dr Antoinette Poulton, MDHS Momentum Fellowship Recipient

New Publication: Predictive Processing Accounts of Psychosis: Bottom-Up or Top-Down Disruptions

Isabella Goodwin, Prof Marta Garrido and colleagues assessed whether psychosis is driven by disruptions in sensory input, prior expectations, or their interaction within a predictive processing framework in this new review.

New Publication: Relationship Between Illness Perceptions, Coping Style and Post-Concussion Symptoms After Systemic Traumatic Injury: A Comparison of Those With and Without Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

A new publication by A/Prof Jacqueline Anderson examined how illness beliefs and coping styles relate to post-concussion symptoms in people with and without mild traumatic brain injury after traumatic injury.

Introducing Associate Professor Natalia Brumley: Our CNH January Feature Story

New Publication: Psychotic-Like Experiences and White Matter Microstructure: A Fixel-Based Analysis Approach With Robust Replication Across Two Cohorts

A new publication by Isabella Goodwin, Prof Rob Hester and Prof Marta Garrido found that everyday psychotic-like experiences in healthy people are not linked to changes in the brain’s white-matter “wiring,” offering important clarity for early psychosis research.

Introducing Professor Marta Garrido: Our CNH December Feature Story

Dr Daniel Feuerriegel Joins The Conversation to Unpack how Black Friday Shapes our Decisions

Dr Daniel Feuerriegel explains how Black Friday’s urgency and scarcity tactics hijack our decision-making, pushing our brains toward faster, more impulsive purchases.

New Publication: Left Nucleus Accumbens Volume is Associated With Poor Sleep in Hip Osteoarthritis

A new paper by A/Prof Natalia Egorova‑Brumley, Leila Nategh and colleagues links lower left nucleus accumbens volume with poorer sleep quality in people with hip osteoarthritis.

New Publication: Trajectories of Delay Discounting and Smoking From Adolescence to Young Adulthood

A new study by Dr Gezelle Dali, Dr Antoinette Poulton, Prof Rob Hester and colleagues shows how changes in delay discounting from adolescence to young adulthood predict smoking behaviour, highlighting adolescence as a key period for supporting self-control.

Introducing Dr Sarah Tashjian: Our CNH November Feature Story

New Preprint: FOODEEG: An Open Dataset of Human Electroencephalographic and Behavioural Responses to Food Images

PhD student Violet Chae, Dr Daniel Feuerriegel and colleagues have released a new preprint introducing FOODEEG, an open EEG and behavioural dataset that captures how the brain responds to food images.

Our PhD Student Violet Chae Joins ABC’s Lab Notes to Unpack how the Brain Shapes our Food Choices in Real Time

In the episode, she discusses what these rapid neural responses mean for our everyday eating habits and how understanding them could support healthier choices.

New Preprint: Tracing the Neural Trajectories of Evidence Accumulation and Motor Preparation Processes During Voluntary Decisions

In a new preprint by Lauren Fong, Dr Paul Garrett, Prof Philip Smith, Prof Robert Hester, Dr Daniel Feuerriegel and colleagues, how the brain transforms evidence accumulation into action is tracked, revealing how decision and movement processes unfold together in real time.

New Publication: Feasibility of Decoding Cerebellar Movement-Related Potentials for Brain-Computer Interface Applications

Dr Sophie Lin and collaborators demonstrate what is likely the first cerebellar EEG‑based brain–computer interface, decoding movement‑related neural signals for potential BCI applications.

Congratulations to Our New ARC Discovery Project Recipients!

Highlights from the Cognitive Neuroscience Hub 2nd Annual Symposium

Professor Marta Garrido Joins ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Biotechnology as a Chief Investigator

New Publication: Psilocybin With Psychotherapeutic Support for Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Pilot Clinical Trial

A new pilot trial conducted by Sally Meikle, Prof Olivia Carter and colleagues found that psilocybin therapy with psychotherapy support may help reduce symptoms in people with treatment-resistant depression.

Introducing Dr Daniel Bennett: Our CNH October Feature Story

New Publication: Illness Perceptions Predict Subjective Cognitive Complaints Independently of Sex and Psychological Distress in Post-Acute mTBI

Arielle Levy and A/Prof Jacqueline Anderson examined whether how people perceive their illness (illness perceptions) predicts their subjective reports of cognitive difficulties in the weeks following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).

New Publication: Early Insights Into Eyeblink Conditioning Using Optically Pumped Magnetometer-Based MEG

Dr Sophie Lin and colleagues used OP-MEG brain imaging to investigate eyeblink conditioning in humans.

New Publication: Computational Modelling Shows Evidence in Support of Both Sensory and Frontal Theories of Consciousness

Kavindu Bandara, Dr Elise Rowe and Prof Marta Garrido used computational modelling to investigate how sensory and frontal brain regions contribute to consciousness, finding that both play a key role in shaping awareness.

Introducing Professor Iroise Dumontheil: Our CNH September Feature Story

New Preprint: I Feel Like I’m in a Dream”: A Qualitative Investigation of the Lived Experience of Visual Snow Syndrome

Prof Olivia Carter, A/Prof Jason Forte, Dr Jacob Paul and colleagues explored what it is like living with Visual Snow Syndrome in this new preprint.

New Publication: Poststroke Cardiorespiratory Exercise for Brain Volume and Cognition

A/Prof Natalia Egorova-Brumley and colleagues published a paper investigating how exercise can impact executive function post stroke.

New Publication: The Effect of Depression on the Peak Alpha Frequency as a Biomarker of Pain Sensitivity

A/Prof Natalia Egorova-Brumley and colleagues published a paper showing how depression influences the reliability of EEG Peak Alpha Frequency as a biomarker of pain sensitivity across different recording methods.

Introducing Dr Sophie Lin: Our CNH August Post-Doc Feature Story

OP-MEG joins the Melbourne Brain Centre Imaging Unit!

New Publication: Ten Simple Rules For Research With Humans

Dr Sarah Tashjian and colleagues outline ten simple rules in computational biology that could transform the way we work with human participants.

Congratulations to Dr Sarah Tashjian, recipient of the 2025 BBRF Young Investigator Grant!

Curious How Kids Become Strategic Thinkers? Join Our Study on Metacognition and Help us Find Out!

New Preprint: A Comparison of Single and Multiple Diffusion Process Models of Continuous-Outcome Decision Making

Prof Philip Smith, Dr Paul Garrett, Dr Daniel Feuerriegel and colleagues investigated how people make memory-based decisions when reporting precise details, in this new preprint.

New Preprint: A Parietal Memory Strength Signal Linked to Evidence Accumulation in Recognition Decisions

Jie Sun, Daniel Feuerriegel and colleagues had a preprint released, examining whether a specific brain signal reflects how memory evidence builds over time.

New Preprint: Effective Connectivity Reveals Dual-Route Mechanism of Visual Prediction Precision via Insula and Pulvinar

Linzhi Tao, Prof Marta Garrido and colleagues explored how the brain predicts what you’ll see next.

Introducing Dr Antoinette Poulton: Our CNH July Post-Doc Feature Story

New Publication: Double Dissociation of Dynamic and Static Face Perception Provides Causal Evidence for a Third Visual Pathway

Prof Olivia Carter, Prof Marta Garrido, Prabhakar Singh and colleagues found that a third visual brain pathway can help us understand moving facial expressions, separate from how we recognise faces or track movement.

New Publication: Meta-Analysis Shows a Malleable Rightward Bias in the Expectations of Objects in Space

Prof Marta Garrido, Dr Sophie Lin, and former students Luisa Zhao and Emma Pike found that our brains expect things more on the right, even though attention usually favours the left.

OPMEG Workshop Event Recap

New Publication: What Can Speech Tell us About Pain?

A/Prof Natalia Brumley, Adrian Gonzales and colleagues explored how features of spoken language, such as vocal tone, pitch, and rhythm, can reveal valuable information about a person's pain experience.

Introducing Dr Shuting Li: Our CNH June Post-Doc Feature Story

New Preprint: Expectation Effects Based on Newly Learnt Object-Scene Associations Are Modulated by Spatial Frequency

Morgan Kikkawa, Dr Daniel Feuerriegel and Prof Marta Garrido have had a new preprint released, investigating whether low-spatial frequency scene information influences object processing in the brain.

New Preprint: Characterising The Neural Time-course of Food Attribute Representations

Violet Chae, Dr Daniel Feuerriegel and colleagues have had a new preprint released. These findings shed light on the swift and nuanced ways our brains interpret food-related information, offering insights into the neural underpinnings of dietary decisions.

Our First OPMEG Experiment With a Community Participant!

Introducing Dr Dan Myles: Our CNH May Post-Doc Feature Story

Our 2025 MSPS Awards Night Winners

New Preprint: Limited Evidence for Probabilistic Cueing Effects on Grating-Evoked Event-Related Potentials and Orientation Decoding Performance

Dr Daniel Feuerriegel and colleagues had a paper accepted for publication in the Journal of Psychophysiology,

New Publication: Phase Locking of 40 Hz Auditory Steady State Responses Is Modulated by Sensory Predictability and Linked to Cerebellar Myelination

Prof Marta Garrido and colleagues investigated how predictive processes influence 40 Hz auditory steady-state responses (ASSR).

Introducing Dr Gezelle Dali: Our CNH April Post-Doc Feature Story

Cog Neuro Hub Meet and Greet Event Recap!

New Publication: Weekend Sedentary Behaviour and Cognition Three Months After Stroke Based on the Exploratory Analysis of the CANVAS Study

A/Prof Natalia Egorova-Brumley examined the variability in sedentary behaviour and physical activity patterns on weekdays versus weekends in stroke survivors.

New Publication: Painful Mondays: Exploring Weekly Sleep Variations and Pain Perception in Healthy Women- An Experimental Study

A/Prof Natalia Egorova-Brumley and colleagues investigated how weekly variations in sleep affect pain perception in young women. To read more, click here.

New Publication: Feasibility of Source-Level Motor Imagery Classification for People With Multiple Sclerosis

Dr Chin-Hsuan Sophie Lin and colleagues investigated the use of source-level signal analysis to improve the accuracy of BCI decoding of imagined movements in people with multiple sclerosis.

New Publication: Decoding Imagined Movement in People With Multiple Sclerosis For Brain–Computer Interface Translation

Dr Chin-Hsuan Sophie Lin had a paper published in The Journal of Engineering, investigating the feasibility of using a BCI to decode imagined movements in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Brain Sciences Journal Issue Cover for December- Dr Antoinette Poulton

Dr Antoinette Poulton and colleagues from The Nepean Clinical School investigated the effect of amphetamine treatment on executive function in individuals with obesity. Read the new published paper here.

Introducing Dr Elise Rowe: Our CNH March Post-Doc Feature Story

A/Prof Jacqueline Anderson secured a grant from The Shepherd Foundation!

Congratulations to A/Prof Jacqueline Anderson who has secured an $80,000 grant for a pilot study investigating neuropsychological interventions aimed at improving outcomes after a mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

New Publication: Visceral Afferent Training in Action: The Origins of Agency in Early Cognitive Development

Dr Daniel Feuerriegel and colleagues investigated the visceral afferent training' hypothesis, incorporating the development of top-down (allostatic) control over bodily states.

New Preprint: Predictive Processing Accounts of Psychosis: Bottom-Up or Top-Down Disruptions, Where do we Stand?

A new preprint published by Prof Marta Garrido, Isabella Goodwin and colleagues evaluates the role of predictive processing in understanding psychosis.

Issue Cover & New Publication: The Impact of Dexamphetamine Treatment for Obesity on Executive Function: A Double-Blind Randomised Controlled Pilot Study

Dr Antoinette Poulton had a paper published in Brain Sciences, as the issue cover for the December Issue.

Recap: What do we know about Delirium and why should we care?

Prof Hannah Keage tells us all about delirium in her recent talk to the hub. Did you know that delirium can be preventable in 30-40% of cases, yet is one of the most understudied conditions in cognitive neuroscience? Find out more in the recap of her talk!

Featured podcast: Why do some of us struggle with maths?

Jacob chats about his research in understanding dyscalculia - maths learning disorder, and what he is doing to raise awareness and support for these children and adults.

International joint-PhD opportunity with KU Leuven

Apply now for this joint-PhD project on "Understanding the development of metacognitive regulation in academic learning during childhood: the role of metacognitive control", working with Prof Iroise & Dr Jacob, and experts based in KU Leuven.

New publication: Cluster analyses reveal subgroups in health-related quality of life after mild traumatic brain injury

Jacqueline investigated whether multiple homogenous subgroups could be meaningfully identified based on their HRQoL profiles.

New publication: Disentangled periodic and aperiodic resting EEG correlates in personality neuroscience

Luiza, Daniel and colleagues report about the significance of aperiodic resting EEG correlates in studying personality traits - it's not all just "noise"! Read more in their paper published in NeuroImage.

Recap: Do you know how wearable MEG works?

Dr Rob Seymour presents his midnight (UK time) talk with us on how wearable MEG can be implemented on studying the brain in natural conditions. You can now recap on his talk recording here.

New preprint: A late EEG component is time-locked to decision in recognition memory

New study: Alcohol use by people in the screen industry

Recap: Are you prone to boredom?

Prof James Danckert presents data from neuroimaging work and individual differences studies to show that boredom proneness can be cast as both a disengaged attentional state and a struggle to establish a sense of agency. Find out about this in his recent talk with the hub!

Celebrating MRFF awardee!

Congratulations to Dr Antoinette Poulton for securing an MRFF grant! Her project will assess the efficacy of an innovative, scalable and accessible app-based intervention designed to curb hazardous alcohol use.

New publication: Case study on self-motion induced environmental kinetopsia and pop-out illusion

New publication: How similar are object number and timing being represented in the brain?

Dr Jacob Paul and colleagues analyse 7T MRI human data to show that the neural representation to initiate response to numerosity and timing are initially different, then overlaps in parts, but never fully form a common representation.

New collab project investigating Delirium, funded by a 2023 NHMRC Ideas Grant

This new collaborative interdisciplinary project aims to develop targeted assessments to test for neural markers of delirium vulnerability. The team includes Dr Daniel Feuerriegel and Prof Marta Garrido.

It's official

Hello to our new Professors

Enriched volition? What do we know about the neural correlates of voluntary actions?

Catch up on the talk by Dr Silvia Seghezzi that delves into the nature of voluntary action, presenting recent research findings that investigate the brain activity preceding voluntary actions.

OHBM Program Chair-Elect: A/Prof Marta Garrido!

New publication: Do women experience more intense pain? Does sleep loss exacerbate pain?

Register now for the Event of the Year - Rebranding Launch!

Come join us as we celebrate the hub's rebranding launch! This in-person event will take place on Thursday, October 26, 2023 at 11am at the Parkville campus, and will feature talks by internationally renowned neuroscientist Prof Anil Seth and computational vision scientist Dr Katherine Storrs!

New publication: A review and meta-analysis on the brain changes in osteoarthritis

Natalia Brumley and co-authors review and systhesise what we currently know about brain changes in osteoarthritis. Read more in their newly published review paper!

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.

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.