David V. Smith
@dvsmith.bsky.social
Associate Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience at Temple University. Using fMRI and tES to understand how we make social and economic decisions.
Reposted by David V. Smith
The new book, "Neuroeconomics: Core Topics and Current Directions" is out! Here is my chapter on consumer attention. 👀Thanks to @dvsmith.bsky.social @thepsychologist.bsky.social @dfareri.bsky.social for their excellent leadership as editors.
#science #attention #eyetracking #marketing
#science #attention #eyetracking #marketing
Attention Dynamics: Antecedents to Consumer Choice
This chapter reviews four decades of research on consumer attention and decision-making, focusing on how visual information influences preferences, attitudes, and choice. It traces methodological adva...
link.springer.com
February 5, 2026 at 12:40 PM
The new book, "Neuroeconomics: Core Topics and Current Directions" is out! Here is my chapter on consumer attention. 👀Thanks to @dvsmith.bsky.social @thepsychologist.bsky.social @dfareri.bsky.social for their excellent leadership as editors.
#science #attention #eyetracking #marketing
#science #attention #eyetracking #marketing
Reposted by David V. Smith
So excited that this textbook, edited by @dfareri.bsky.social @dvsmith.bsky.social & @thepsychologist.bsky.social is out now! And so happy to have been invited to contribute. Here’s my chapter on the role of memory, esp. semantic memory, in temporal discounting: link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...
The Role of Memory in Temporal Discounting
A widely observed phenomenon in intertemporal choice is temporal discounting; people prefer to have rewards sooner rather than later, even if the delayed rewards are larger. Despite the universality o...
link.springer.com
February 5, 2026 at 10:14 PM
So excited that this textbook, edited by @dfareri.bsky.social @dvsmith.bsky.social & @thepsychologist.bsky.social is out now! And so happy to have been invited to contribute. Here’s my chapter on the role of memory, esp. semantic memory, in temporal discounting: link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...
New work from the lab! With @jameswyngaarden.bsky.social
α-tACS Modulates Reward-Dependent Pupil Responses and Corticostriatal Connectivity https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.30.702963v1
February 5, 2026 at 10:46 AM
New work from the lab! With @jameswyngaarden.bsky.social
Reposted by David V. Smith
Ketone body beta-hydroxybutyrate restores neuronal Tau proteostasis via ketolysis-independent mechanism https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.30.702936v1
February 3, 2026 at 5:15 AM
Ketone body beta-hydroxybutyrate restores neuronal Tau proteostasis via ketolysis-independent mechanism https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.30.702936v1
Reposted by David V. Smith
Check out @orielf.bsky.social & I's chapter "Emotion and Choice: The Integral Role of Emotion in Constructing Value" in the new volume, Neuroeconomics: Core Topics and Current Directions, edited by @dvsmith.bsky.social @thepsychologist.bsky.social & @dfareri.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1007/978-...
doi.org/10.1007/978-...
Emotion and Choice: The Integral Role of Emotion in Constructing Value
In the centuries-long history of decision-making research, emotion’s role in choice has only been investigated relatively recently. Early theories of decision-making, which conceived of emotions...
doi.org
February 4, 2026 at 10:08 PM
Check out @orielf.bsky.social & I's chapter "Emotion and Choice: The Integral Role of Emotion in Constructing Value" in the new volume, Neuroeconomics: Core Topics and Current Directions, edited by @dvsmith.bsky.social @thepsychologist.bsky.social & @dfareri.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1007/978-...
doi.org/10.1007/978-...
Reposted by David V. Smith
Chapter 📖 "Decomposing Economic Choices with Drift-Diffusion Models" with @krajbichlab.bsky.social and Xiaozhi (Taro) Yang is out in, "Neuroeconomics: Core Topics and Current Directions" edited by @dvsmith.bsky.social, @thepsychologist.bsky.social, @dfareri.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/yey56tup
tinyurl.com/yey56tup
Decomposing Economic Choices with Drift-Diffusion Models
Many decisions arise from a dynamic process of information accumulation and comparison. Thus, to fully understand decision-making, we must decompose the choice process into its parts. Here, we review ...
link.springer.com
February 4, 2026 at 4:23 AM
Chapter 📖 "Decomposing Economic Choices with Drift-Diffusion Models" with @krajbichlab.bsky.social and Xiaozhi (Taro) Yang is out in, "Neuroeconomics: Core Topics and Current Directions" edited by @dvsmith.bsky.social, @thepsychologist.bsky.social, @dfareri.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/yey56tup
tinyurl.com/yey56tup
Reposted by David V. Smith
New discovery! Value-based decisions reorganize neural state space. Options are first encoded in orthogonal subspaces Then the selected option rotates into a "readout subspace".
Neural subspace reorganization reflects value-based decision making.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
#neuroscience
Neural subspace reorganization reflects value-based decision making.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
#neuroscience
www.biorxiv.org
February 3, 2026 at 11:49 AM
New discovery! Value-based decisions reorganize neural state space. Options are first encoded in orthogonal subspaces Then the selected option rotates into a "readout subspace".
Neural subspace reorganization reflects value-based decision making.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
#neuroscience
Neural subspace reorganization reflects value-based decision making.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
#neuroscience
Reposted by David V. Smith
📣 New book chapter
Excited to see my chapter "The Neural Mechanisms of Strategic Decision-Making" finally out in a new book, "Neuroeconomics: Core Topics and Current Directions", edited by @dvsmith.bsky.social, @thepsychologist.bsky.social, and Dominic Fareri.
link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...
Excited to see my chapter "The Neural Mechanisms of Strategic Decision-Making" finally out in a new book, "Neuroeconomics: Core Topics and Current Directions", edited by @dvsmith.bsky.social, @thepsychologist.bsky.social, and Dominic Fareri.
link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...
February 2, 2026 at 1:45 PM
📣 New book chapter
Excited to see my chapter "The Neural Mechanisms of Strategic Decision-Making" finally out in a new book, "Neuroeconomics: Core Topics and Current Directions", edited by @dvsmith.bsky.social, @thepsychologist.bsky.social, and Dominic Fareri.
link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...
Excited to see my chapter "The Neural Mechanisms of Strategic Decision-Making" finally out in a new book, "Neuroeconomics: Core Topics and Current Directions", edited by @dvsmith.bsky.social, @thepsychologist.bsky.social, and Dominic Fareri.
link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...
Reposted by David V. Smith
~1 yr into the NIH Director’s term, he mentioned the same talking points from his ongoing media tour. Disappointed that these talking points were not supported with programs or operational updates from the past year in this role.
Moreso claims about ideology.
www.dukechronicle.com/article/duke...
Moreso claims about ideology.
www.dukechronicle.com/article/duke...
NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya talks 'replication crisis' at Duke panel, omits funding cuts
Throughout the second Trump administration, the NIH has frozen billions of dollars in research funding to universities. Those cuts were not the topic of discussion at a Duke Clinical Research Institut...
www.dukechronicle.com
January 28, 2026 at 1:53 PM
~1 yr into the NIH Director’s term, he mentioned the same talking points from his ongoing media tour. Disappointed that these talking points were not supported with programs or operational updates from the past year in this role.
Moreso claims about ideology.
www.dukechronicle.com/article/duke...
Moreso claims about ideology.
www.dukechronicle.com/article/duke...
Reposted by David V. Smith
This is an important paper on social class barriers among faculty in academia.
First-generation college grads earn less and are placed at lower prestige institutions despite being just as productive as other faculty.
Faculty from upper class backgrounds are overplaced for their research records.
First-generation college grads earn less and are placed at lower prestige institutions despite being just as productive as other faculty.
Faculty from upper class backgrounds are overplaced for their research records.
January 27, 2026 at 8:49 PM
This is an important paper on social class barriers among faculty in academia.
First-generation college grads earn less and are placed at lower prestige institutions despite being just as productive as other faculty.
Faculty from upper class backgrounds are overplaced for their research records.
First-generation college grads earn less and are placed at lower prestige institutions despite being just as productive as other faculty.
Faculty from upper class backgrounds are overplaced for their research records.
Reposted by David V. Smith
🧵 New paper in @NatureComms
Feedback-induced attitudinal changes in risk preferences
Nasioulas, Potier, Cerrotti, Lebreton & me (2026)
Does feedback really improve risky decision-making? Short answer: no! it changes attitudes, not learning. 👇
rdcu.be/e0VcO
Feedback-induced attitudinal changes in risk preferences
Nasioulas, Potier, Cerrotti, Lebreton & me (2026)
Does feedback really improve risky decision-making? Short answer: no! it changes attitudes, not learning. 👇
rdcu.be/e0VcO
Feedback-induced attitudinal changes in risk preferences
Nature Communications - Normative theory predicts that feedback should not affect decisions under risk, but past findings disagree. Here, the authors show that feedback shifts risk-taking by...
rdcu.be
January 27, 2026 at 12:12 PM
🧵 New paper in @NatureComms
Feedback-induced attitudinal changes in risk preferences
Nasioulas, Potier, Cerrotti, Lebreton & me (2026)
Does feedback really improve risky decision-making? Short answer: no! it changes attitudes, not learning. 👇
rdcu.be/e0VcO
Feedback-induced attitudinal changes in risk preferences
Nasioulas, Potier, Cerrotti, Lebreton & me (2026)
Does feedback really improve risky decision-making? Short answer: no! it changes attitudes, not learning. 👇
rdcu.be/e0VcO
Reposted by David V. Smith
Dissociable neuronal substrates for positive and negative valence stimuli in the nucleus accumbens https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.24.701496v1
January 25, 2026 at 10:15 AM
Dissociable neuronal substrates for positive and negative valence stimuli in the nucleus accumbens https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.24.701496v1
Reposted by David V. Smith
Neuroscience is moving away from a modular view of the brain because the brain is not modular. It is network of murmuring neurons. Great metaphor by @pessoabrain.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/16/o...
#neuroscience
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/16/o...
#neuroscience
Opinion | What Are We Thinking?
www.nytimes.com
January 17, 2026 at 2:54 PM
Neuroscience is moving away from a modular view of the brain because the brain is not modular. It is network of murmuring neurons. Great metaphor by @pessoabrain.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/16/o...
#neuroscience
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/16/o...
#neuroscience
Reposted by David V. Smith
My department, Duke Neurobiology, is searching for a new chair. Ad below. Come work with me, @jmgrohneuro.bsky.social @ennatsew.bsky.social @jorggrandl.bsky.social @jnklab.bsky.social @sbilbo.bsky.social @neurocircuits.bsky.social and many other amazing folks! @dukemedschool.bsky.social
Department Chair, Duke Neurobiology - Duke University, Durham job with Duke University - School of Medicine | 12852576
The Duke University School of Medicine (SOM) seeks a distinguished neuroscientist to serve as the next Chair of the Department of Neurobiology.
www.nature.com
January 13, 2026 at 1:21 AM
My department, Duke Neurobiology, is searching for a new chair. Ad below. Come work with me, @jmgrohneuro.bsky.social @ennatsew.bsky.social @jorggrandl.bsky.social @jnklab.bsky.social @sbilbo.bsky.social @neurocircuits.bsky.social and many other amazing folks! @dukemedschool.bsky.social
Reposted by David V. Smith
SANS 2026 deadline has been extended by a week to **next Monday Jan 19th 23:59 PT**!
We encourage all current and prospective members of the SANS community to take advantage of the extended deadline and submit their work for consideration as either an individual poster or oral presentation!
We encourage all current and prospective members of the SANS community to take advantage of the extended deadline and submit their work for consideration as either an individual poster or oral presentation!
January 13, 2026 at 12:23 AM
SANS 2026 deadline has been extended by a week to **next Monday Jan 19th 23:59 PT**!
We encourage all current and prospective members of the SANS community to take advantage of the extended deadline and submit their work for consideration as either an individual poster or oral presentation!
We encourage all current and prospective members of the SANS community to take advantage of the extended deadline and submit their work for consideration as either an individual poster or oral presentation!
Reposted by David V. Smith
Want to get into one of the fastest growing tech fields today? The CMU Neuroscience Institute and Department of Biomedical Engineering have teamed up to offer a suite of masters programs in Neural Technologies, tailored to your long term career goals.
Spread the word!
Spread the word!
We are pleased to announce the new Master’s in Neural Technologies (MiNT) program. Please visit our website to learn more and apply:
www.cmu.edu/ni/academics...
www.cmu.edu/ni/academics...
January 12, 2026 at 3:47 PM
Want to get into one of the fastest growing tech fields today? The CMU Neuroscience Institute and Department of Biomedical Engineering have teamed up to offer a suite of masters programs in Neural Technologies, tailored to your long term career goals.
Spread the word!
Spread the word!
Reposted by David V. Smith
This is a HUGE win…and one that happened because we ~collectively~ said “NO!”
But AAAS coming in and saying on record to the NYT “Science is doing ok. Things are not bad at all…” is baffling.
If things are hard for you as a scientist, please share in the comments.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/10/s...
But AAAS coming in and saying on record to the NYT “Science is doing ok. Things are not bad at all…” is baffling.
If things are hard for you as a scientist, please share in the comments.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/10/s...
Congress Is Reversing Trump’s Steep Budget Cuts to Science
www.nytimes.com
January 10, 2026 at 12:09 PM
This is a HUGE win…and one that happened because we ~collectively~ said “NO!”
But AAAS coming in and saying on record to the NYT “Science is doing ok. Things are not bad at all…” is baffling.
If things are hard for you as a scientist, please share in the comments.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/10/s...
But AAAS coming in and saying on record to the NYT “Science is doing ok. Things are not bad at all…” is baffling.
If things are hard for you as a scientist, please share in the comments.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/10/s...
Reposted by David V. Smith
Interested in research on depression in youth? New opening for a full-time research assistant in our lab (webbslab.com) to work on a range of projects focused on the causes & treatment of depression in teens. Come join our growing lab. Please RT and share! Apply⬇️
webbslab.com/job-postings
webbslab.com/job-postings
January 9, 2026 at 9:28 PM
Interested in research on depression in youth? New opening for a full-time research assistant in our lab (webbslab.com) to work on a range of projects focused on the causes & treatment of depression in teens. Come join our growing lab. Please RT and share! Apply⬇️
webbslab.com/job-postings
webbslab.com/job-postings
Reposted by David V. Smith
per my point about the mercator projection being the root of this whole thing
Why is Trump fixated on Greenland? @sbg1.bsky.social recalls what he told us in 2021: "I said, 'Why don’t we have that?' You take a look at a map...I love maps. And I always said 'Look at the size of this, it’s massive and that should be part of the United States.'" www.newyorker.com/news/letter-...
Why Donald Trump Wants Greenland (and Everything Else)
There’s no Trump Doctrine, just a map of the world that the President wants to write his name on in big gold letters.
www.newyorker.com
January 9, 2026 at 12:48 AM
per my point about the mercator projection being the root of this whole thing
Reposted by David V. Smith
Fresh off the press from all-star post-doc Blake Elliott: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
We show that the HPC supports coincidence detection across VTA and lPFC in service of novelty-evoked invigoration. Stay-tuned for how these circuits are altered in psychosis risk.
We show that the HPC supports coincidence detection across VTA and lPFC in service of novelty-evoked invigoration. Stay-tuned for how these circuits are altered in psychosis risk.
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
www.pnas.org
January 7, 2026 at 2:00 AM
Fresh off the press from all-star post-doc Blake Elliott: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
We show that the HPC supports coincidence detection across VTA and lPFC in service of novelty-evoked invigoration. Stay-tuned for how these circuits are altered in psychosis risk.
We show that the HPC supports coincidence detection across VTA and lPFC in service of novelty-evoked invigoration. Stay-tuned for how these circuits are altered in psychosis risk.
Reposted by David V. Smith
When I explain to people what is involved with writing a successful grant, they simply don’t believe me.
I explained it once to a famous person from Pixar, and he looked me square in the eye and said: You mean all the cancer and Alzheimer’s grants work that way? You’ve gotta be &$%#ing kidding me!
I explained it once to a famous person from Pixar, and he looked me square in the eye and said: You mean all the cancer and Alzheimer’s grants work that way? You’ve gotta be &$%#ing kidding me!
I don't think you non-science people realize what it takes to get a grant funded by NIH. Started experiments in Sept 2021 to generate 3 new mouse mutants to model human disease. Prelim dara shows they have relevant disease phenotypes worthy of study. Need a small grant first to characterize /1
January 3, 2026 at 1:14 AM
When I explain to people what is involved with writing a successful grant, they simply don’t believe me.
I explained it once to a famous person from Pixar, and he looked me square in the eye and said: You mean all the cancer and Alzheimer’s grants work that way? You’ve gotta be &$%#ing kidding me!
I explained it once to a famous person from Pixar, and he looked me square in the eye and said: You mean all the cancer and Alzheimer’s grants work that way? You’ve gotta be &$%#ing kidding me!
Reposted by David V. Smith
New Perspective from myself, Sarah Heilbronner and @myoo.bsky.social . “Rethinking the centrality of brain areas in understanding functional organization” in Nature Neuroscience. 🧵
rdcu.be/eVZ1A
rdcu.be/eVZ1A
Rethinking the centrality of brain areas in understanding functional organization
Nature Neuroscience - Parcellation of the cortex into functionally modular brain areas is foundational to neuroscience. Here, Hayden, Heilbronner and Yoo question the central status of brain areas...
rdcu.be
December 23, 2025 at 1:02 PM
New Perspective from myself, Sarah Heilbronner and @myoo.bsky.social . “Rethinking the centrality of brain areas in understanding functional organization” in Nature Neuroscience. 🧵
rdcu.be/eVZ1A
rdcu.be/eVZ1A
“These results demonstrate a generalizable small-magnitude effect of lower cognitive performance aligning with school vacation even after adjusting for socioeconomic status or ADHD diagnosis.”
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Cognition varies across the calendar year in multiple large-scale datasets | PNAS
Children’s cognitive abilities vary across short and long timescales, from circadian
fluctuations to year-by-year developmental changes. “Summer sl...
www.pnas.org
December 20, 2025 at 10:48 PM
“These results demonstrate a generalizable small-magnitude effect of lower cognitive performance aligning with school vacation even after adjusting for socioeconomic status or ADHD diagnosis.”
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by David V. Smith
AI-assisted coding: 10 simple rules to maintain scientific rigor www.thetransmitter.org/artificial-i... - my latest in @thetransmitter.bsky.social
AI-assisted coding: 10 simple rules to maintain scientific rigor
These guidelines can help researchers ensure the integrity of their work while accelerating progress on important scientific questions.
www.thetransmitter.org
December 16, 2025 at 1:48 PM
AI-assisted coding: 10 simple rules to maintain scientific rigor www.thetransmitter.org/artificial-i... - my latest in @thetransmitter.bsky.social
Reposted by David V. Smith
🧠💸 Launching the RewardSignals feed
RewardSignals is a custom feed collecting posts about reward processing and decision making.
To appear in the feed, tag your post with #RewardSignals.
You can find and pin the feed from the Feeds tab as “RewardSignals”.
#RewardSignals
RewardSignals is a custom feed collecting posts about reward processing and decision making.
To appear in the feed, tag your post with #RewardSignals.
You can find and pin the feed from the Feeds tab as “RewardSignals”.
#RewardSignals
November 15, 2025 at 8:02 PM
🧠💸 Launching the RewardSignals feed
RewardSignals is a custom feed collecting posts about reward processing and decision making.
To appear in the feed, tag your post with #RewardSignals.
You can find and pin the feed from the Feeds tab as “RewardSignals”.
#RewardSignals
RewardSignals is a custom feed collecting posts about reward processing and decision making.
To appear in the feed, tag your post with #RewardSignals.
You can find and pin the feed from the Feeds tab as “RewardSignals”.
#RewardSignals