Project description DEENESFRITPL New way to detect age-related brain pathologies One of the goals of modern psychology is to explain the inter-individual differentiation of mechanistic causes in decision making. However, it is a complicated task as even our simplest perceptual choice depends on numerous processes. Mathematical 'sequential sampling' models are meant to analyse these processes differentiating the behaviour of choice making, but they still aren’t precise due to their methodological limitations. The EU-funded IndDecision project aims to overcome this issue by applying an innovative, ground-breaking method that enables the use of decision process models based on observed, compared and measured behavioural results thanks to non-invasive electrophysiology. The project will help detect age-related brain pathologies at an early stage enabling better treatment effects. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective Pinpointing the mechanistic origins of inter-individual differences in decision making is a central goal of modern psychology and a considerable challenge because even elementary perceptual choices rely on a multitude of sensory, cognitive, motivational and motoric processes. For this reason, researchers have relied heavily on a set of mathematical ‘sequential sampling’ models that are designed to parse the latent psychological processes driving variations in choice behaviour. Although these models have been fruitfully employed in thousands of theoretical and neurophysiological investigations, they suffer from several limitations that particularly undermine their utility in inter-individual or -group comparisons including: A) parameter values are estimated on a relative, within-subject scale; B) the models come in many forms that can make identical behavioural predictions despite invoking fundamentally different mechanisms (‘model mimicry’); and C) they deal in abstract psychological constructs that are themselves dependent on multiple neural processes. The objective of this proposal is to address each of these issues by pioneering a ground-breaking decision modelling framework in which models are constructed and evaluated based on their ability to explain key observable aspects of the neural implementation of the human decision process in addition to its behavioural output. This ambitious goal is made possible by recent advances in non-invasive electrophysiology which enable direct observation, measurement and manipulation of the decision process as it unfolds in the human brain. Across a series of empirical investigations that will use adult aging as a test-bed for studying inter-individual and -group differences, this research will yield new methods for directly comparing model parameter values across subjects, resolve prominent theoretical debates regarding decision making algorithms and gain important new insights into their susceptibility to cognitive aging. Fields of science social sciencespsychology Keywords Perceptual decision making sequential sampling models electroencephalogram (EEG) Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-2019-COG - ERC Consolidator Grant Call for proposal ERC-2019-COG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant Host institution THE PROVOST, FELLOWS, FOUNDATION SCHOLARS & THE OTHER MEMBERS OF BOARD, OF THE COLLEGE OF THE HOLY & UNDIVIDED TRINITY OF QUEEN ELIZABETH NEAR DUBLIN Net EU contribution € 1 996 310,00 Address COLLEGE GREEN TRINITY COLLEGE D02 CX56 DUBLIN 2 Ireland See on map Region Ireland Eastern and Midland Dublin Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 1 996 310,00 Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all THE PROVOST, FELLOWS, FOUNDATION SCHOLARS & THE OTHER MEMBERS OF BOARD, OF THE COLLEGE OF THE HOLY & UNDIVIDED TRINITY OF QUEEN ELIZABETH NEAR DUBLIN Ireland Net EU contribution € 1 996 310,00 Address COLLEGE GREEN TRINITY COLLEGE D02 CX56 DUBLIN 2 See on map Region Ireland Eastern and Midland Dublin Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 1 996 310,00