Psychological and Brain Sciences Colloquium: Dr. Yu-Chin Chiu
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Summary: Goal-directed behavior is often understood as the product of top-down cognitive control, but it can also be shaped from the bottom up through associative learning. In this talk, Dr. Chiu will present two studies showing how learning can tune cognitive control—helping people enter “metacontrol” states that favor either flexibility or stability. In a final study, Dr. Chiu will examine whether this really is a free lunch—or whether these apparent benefits come with hidden costs.
Bio: Dr. Chiu is an Associate Professor at Purdue University in the Department of Psychological Sciences. She is interested in how humans exert top-down, cognitive control when bottom-up biases (perceptual, emotional, motivational) are in conflict with the current goal. As when cognitive control fails, these biases could become detrimental, contributing to maladaptive behaviors (e.g., attention deficits, addiction) as seen in many psychiatric disorders. Dr. Chiu’s research focuses on examining two key aspects of cognitive control – the ability to select task-relevant information proactively (selective attention), and the ability to control responses reactively (response inhibition). Using various research methodologies (behavior, fMRI, EEG), her research aims to characterize the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying cognitive control, and ultimately to provide insights into how to best improve cognitive control in the relevant clinical populations.