CAREER: A NEUROCOMPUTATIONAL APPROACH TO CONTEXTUALLY FLEXIBLE HUMAN SOCIAL BEHAVIOR -HUMANS OFTEN MAKE GUE…

Assistance award details

Assistance award identifier

ASST_NON_2339853_049

FAIN

2339853

Recipient

TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, THE

Awarding agency

National Science Foundation

Funding agency

National Science Foundation

Assistance listing (CFDA)

47.075

Total obligated

$1,198,727

Period

Jun 15, 2024 – May 31, 2029

Fiscal year

2024

Place of performance state

PA

Source file

FY2024_All_Assistance_Full_20261006.zip

Description

CAREER: A NEUROCOMPUTATIONAL APPROACH TO CONTEXTUALLY FLEXIBLE HUMAN SOCIAL BEHAVIOR -HUMANS OFTEN MAKE GUESSES ABOUT WHAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE LIKE OR WHAT OTHER PEOPLE MIGHT DO WHEN MAKING DECISIONS, INCLUDING DECISIONS ABOUT WHEN AND WHETHER TO SUPPORT, LISTEN TO, PUNISH, OR AVOID PARTICULAR INDIVIDUALS. IN CONTRAST TO FOLLOWING SIMPLE DECISION RULES ACROSS ALL CONTEXTS, THESE GUESSES CAN SUPPORT FLEXIBILITY IN PEOPLE?S DECISION-MAKING, ALLOWING THEM TO USE CUES IN THE ENVIRONMENT TO TUNE THEIR BEHAVIOR TO INTERACTIONS WITH DIFFERENT PEOPLE. AT THE SAME TIME, WHEN WHOLE COLLECTIONS OF DECISION-MAKERS USE SIMILAR CUES TO MAKE SIMILAR GUESSES ABOUT OTHERS, THIS CAN PERPETUATE DISPARITIES IN TREATMENT ACROSS DIFFERENT SOCIAL GROUPS. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO GENERATE NEW SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING OF FLEXIBLE HUMAN SOCIAL DECISION-MAKING, WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL DISPARITIES. THE PLAN IS TO COMBINE METHODS FROM PSYCHOLOGY, NEUROSCIENCE, AND BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS TO GENERATE PREDICTIONS OF COMPLEX SOCIAL BEHAVIORS AND TO TEST HYPOTHESES ABOUT THE NEURAL CIRCUITRY THAT UNDERLIES THEM. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO TAKE A STEP TOWARD A COMPREHENSIVE FRAMEWORK THAT INCORPORATES MORE OF THE RICHNESS AND COMPLEXITY OF THE SOCIAL WORLD INTO QUANTITATIVE MODELS OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR, ADVANCING EFFORTS IN THE FIELDS OF BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS, SOCIAL COGNITION, AND DECISION NEUROSCIENCE. IN TURN, IT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO GENERATE NEW UNDERSTANDING OF THE ORIGINS OF DISPARATE TREATMENT. ADDITIONAL GOALS ARE TO: 1) SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF A DIVERSE STEM WORKFORCE THROUGH INITIATIVES AIMING TO LOWER BARRIERS TO SUCCESS IN THE MIND AND BRAIN SCIENCES, 2) INCREASE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT WITH NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH, AND 3) TRAIN STUDENTS IN COMPUTATIONAL MODELING AND COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE, AS WELL AS BROADLY APPLIABLE DATA SCIENCE TECHNIQUES. THE BROAD AIMS OF THIS PROJECT ARE TO: 1) INCORPORATE MORE OF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL RICHNESS OF THE HUMAN SOCIAL WORLD INTO FORMAL COMPUTATIONAL MODELS OF BE