Elliott Wimmer
@elliottwimmer.bsky.social
interested in how we learn and later use knowledge in decisions, and how those processes can go awry in psychiatric disorders. LMDlab @UCL, MRC fellow.
Please share widely!
We are looking for someone excited about reward and decision-making research!
(And especially for candidates in the UK or with settled status in the UK, due unfortunately to uni rules.)
@mpc-comppsych.bsky.social
#Neuroscience #ComputationalPsychiatry #MEG #Reward #Memory
We are looking for someone excited about reward and decision-making research!
(And especially for candidates in the UK or with settled status in the UK, due unfortunately to uni rules.)
@mpc-comppsych.bsky.social
#Neuroscience #ComputationalPsychiatry #MEG #Reward #Memory
August 28, 2025 at 8:06 AM
Please share widely!
We are looking for someone excited about reward and decision-making research!
(And especially for candidates in the UK or with settled status in the UK, due unfortunately to uni rules.)
@mpc-comppsych.bsky.social
#Neuroscience #ComputationalPsychiatry #MEG #Reward #Memory
We are looking for someone excited about reward and decision-making research!
(And especially for candidates in the UK or with settled status in the UK, due unfortunately to uni rules.)
@mpc-comppsych.bsky.social
#Neuroscience #ComputationalPsychiatry #MEG #Reward #Memory
Interesting connection! Thanks so much for sharing your new paper.
August 21, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Interesting connection! Thanks so much for sharing your new paper.
Thanks so much, Paul. That is a good point!
August 21, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Thanks so much, Paul. That is a good point!
Thanks! And thank you, I’ve found your results there to be very intriguing, too.
August 20, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Thanks! And thank you, I’ve found your results there to be very intriguing, too.
August 20, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Overall, the results challenge the idea that motivational symptoms universally impair decision-making.
In the paper, we discuss potential reasons for this surprising finding.
We are very happy to hear your thoughts, and please share!
In the paper, we discuss potential reasons for this surprising finding.
We are very happy to hear your thoughts, and please share!
August 20, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Overall, the results challenge the idea that motivational symptoms universally impair decision-making.
In the paper, we discuss potential reasons for this surprising finding.
We are very happy to hear your thoughts, and please share!
In the paper, we discuss potential reasons for this surprising finding.
We are very happy to hear your thoughts, and please share!
…but in actual decision-making, they showed enhanced goal-directed performance:
Higher apathy-anhedonia scores were related to greater sensitivity to goal values – plus faster navigation to goals and higher earnings.
(n.b. this relationship was not found in other common tasks we also collected.)
Higher apathy-anhedonia scores were related to greater sensitivity to goal values – plus faster navigation to goals and higher earnings.
(n.b. this relationship was not found in other common tasks we also collected.)
August 20, 2025 at 12:28 PM
…but in actual decision-making, they showed enhanced goal-directed performance:
Higher apathy-anhedonia scores were related to greater sensitivity to goal values – plus faster navigation to goals and higher earnings.
(n.b. this relationship was not found in other common tasks we also collected.)
Higher apathy-anhedonia scores were related to greater sensitivity to goal values – plus faster navigation to goals and higher earnings.
(n.b. this relationship was not found in other common tasks we also collected.)
We tested links to transdiagnostic psychiatric symptoms.
The relationships with an 'Apathy–Anhedonia' factor were very interesting: people with higher scores reported lower expectations of goal success...
The relationships with an 'Apathy–Anhedonia' factor were very interesting: people with higher scores reported lower expectations of goal success...
August 20, 2025 at 12:27 PM
We tested links to transdiagnostic psychiatric symptoms.
The relationships with an 'Apathy–Anhedonia' factor were very interesting: people with higher scores reported lower expectations of goal success...
The relationships with an 'Apathy–Anhedonia' factor were very interesting: people with higher scores reported lower expectations of goal success...
The paradigm tries to capture features of real-world decision-making:
1) we often make choices in well-learned envirornments,
2) risk is learned from experience, and
3) plans with more steps are riskier, but can also be more rewarding
1) we often make choices in well-learned envirornments,
2) risk is learned from experience, and
3) plans with more steps are riskier, but can also be more rewarding
August 20, 2025 at 12:27 PM
The paradigm tries to capture features of real-world decision-making:
1) we often make choices in well-learned envirornments,
2) risk is learned from experience, and
3) plans with more steps are riskier, but can also be more rewarding
1) we often make choices in well-learned envirornments,
2) risk is learned from experience, and
3) plans with more steps are riskier, but can also be more rewarding
We designed a novel risky goal task: over two days, participants learned maze-like environments where each step carried a small risk of failure. As goals became more distant, risk compounded.
Participants then made choices between a certain reward vs. risky goals with variable distance & reward.
Participants then made choices between a certain reward vs. risky goals with variable distance & reward.
August 20, 2025 at 12:27 PM
We designed a novel risky goal task: over two days, participants learned maze-like environments where each step carried a small risk of failure. As goals became more distant, risk compounded.
Participants then made choices between a certain reward vs. risky goals with variable distance & reward.
Participants then made choices between a certain reward vs. risky goals with variable distance & reward.
Across 3 studies (1 preregistered), combined n>600, using 2 different RL tasks, we found that performance was positively correlated with anhedonia symptoms.
General depression effects were mixed, but no correlations were negative.
These results are unexpected so we look forward to feedback!
General depression effects were mixed, but no correlations were negative.
These results are unexpected so we look forward to feedback!
March 19, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Across 3 studies (1 preregistered), combined n>600, using 2 different RL tasks, we found that performance was positively correlated with anhedonia symptoms.
General depression effects were mixed, but no correlations were negative.
These results are unexpected so we look forward to feedback!
General depression effects were mixed, but no correlations were negative.
These results are unexpected so we look forward to feedback!