Darrell Worthy

Key words that describe work we have done or are currently conducting in the lab: Reinforcement learning, Decision-making, Categorization, Associative learning, Aging and cognition, Mathematical modeling, fMRI, Substance abuse, disinhibition, depression, Choking under pressure, Personality, Dopamine, Spontaneous eye-blink rate, Gambling tasks, Bayesian statistics. Dr. Worthy's research uses behavioral methods, computational modeling, and neuroscience methods to examine the topics listed above. One broad focus of our research is to develop formal mathematical models of cognitive processes such as learning or decision-making that lead to testable predictions using behavioral or fMRI experiments. This line of work examines issues relevant to the fields of Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience with the goal of fully understanding how and why people think and behave the way they do in different situations. A second line of research utilizes cognition and cognitive neuroscience methods to examine individual differences in cognitive processes such as learning and decision-making. For example, how do clinical issues like depression or substance abuse affect the way people respond to rewards or punishments? Or, how does gender or aging affect decision-making? This line of work seeks to bridge gaps across sub-disciplines in psychology by applying cognitive neuroscience methods to questions traditionally examined by researchers in other fields. Affiliated Research Cluster Neuroscience & Personality Processes. Human learning and decision making across the lifespan; motivation and cognition. Accepting Students for 2026-2027?: Yes Memberships: Institute for Neuroscience