Dr. Todd Braver, 4:00pm February 23rd
Dr. Todd Braver
Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University
Tuesday, February 23rd
Swift 107
4:00pm
Reception to Follow
Flexible neural mechanisms of cognitive control
Research in my lab has focused on the neural mechanisms of cognitive control: the ability to regulate thoughts and actions in an intelligent, goal-directed manner. We have argued that such mechanisms, which involve a network of brain regions centered on the lateral prefrontal cortex, are highly flexible, and can operate in both a proactive and reactive mode. The proactive mode of control is future-oriented, preparatory and sustained in nature, while the reactive mode is transient, stimulus-driven, and frequently engaged by the presence of interference. I will present some recent work highlighting this theoretical approach, its utility for understanding individual differences and cognitive impairment in different populations, as well as some new directions it has taken us in understanding how motivation interacts with cognitive control.