Gaia Molinaro
@gaiamolinaro.bsky.social
How do we learn to achieve our goals? 🧠Computational Cognitive Neuroscience PhD student UC Berkeley 🌿
Pinned
Reward function compression facilitates goal-dependent reinforcement learning
Reinforcement learning agents learn from rewards, but humans can uniquely assign value to novel, abstract outcomes in a goal-dependent manner. However, this flexibility is cognitively costly, making l...
arxiv.org
📢 New preprint!
How do humans learn from arbitrary, abstract goals? We show that, when goal spaces can be compressed, costly working-memory processes give way to internalized reward functions, enabling efficient goal-dependent reinforcement learning. @annecollins.bsky.social arxiv.org/abs/2509.06810
How do humans learn from arbitrary, abstract goals? We show that, when goal spaces can be compressed, costly working-memory processes give way to internalized reward functions, enabling efficient goal-dependent reinforcement learning. @annecollins.bsky.social arxiv.org/abs/2509.06810
Reposted by Gaia Molinaro
My paper is out!
Computational modeling of error patterns during reward-based learning show evidence that habit learning (value free!) supplements working memory in 7 human data sets.
rdcu.be/eQjLN
Computational modeling of error patterns during reward-based learning show evidence that habit learning (value free!) supplements working memory in 7 human data sets.
rdcu.be/eQjLN
A habit and working memory model as an alternative account of human reward-based learning
Nature Human Behaviour - In this study, Collins proposes an alternative dual-process (working memory and habit) model of reinforcement learning in humans.
rdcu.be
November 17, 2025 at 5:18 PM
My paper is out!
Computational modeling of error patterns during reward-based learning show evidence that habit learning (value free!) supplements working memory in 7 human data sets.
rdcu.be/eQjLN
Computational modeling of error patterns during reward-based learning show evidence that habit learning (value free!) supplements working memory in 7 human data sets.
rdcu.be/eQjLN
Next week, I'll be presenting my work with @annecollins.bsky.social @collinsccnlab.bsky.social on reward function compression in human RL at @sfn.org. Join me at the "Adaptive Choice" nanosymposium on Nov 16th or dm me if you'd like to meet up!
November 11, 2025 at 12:36 AM
Next week, I'll be presenting my work with @annecollins.bsky.social @collinsccnlab.bsky.social on reward function compression in human RL at @sfn.org. Join me at the "Adaptive Choice" nanosymposium on Nov 16th or dm me if you'd like to meet up!
Reposted by Gaia Molinaro
Come work with us! UC Irvine Cognitive Sciences is looking for a new Assistant Professor to join our team: recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF09896
I'm not on the committee, but happy to talk if you're interested.
I'm not on the committee, but happy to talk if you're interested.
Assistant Professor - Cognitive Sciences
University of California, Irvine is hiring. Apply now!
recruit.ap.uci.edu
September 11, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Come work with us! UC Irvine Cognitive Sciences is looking for a new Assistant Professor to join our team: recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF09896
I'm not on the committee, but happy to talk if you're interested.
I'm not on the committee, but happy to talk if you're interested.
📢 New preprint!
How do humans learn from arbitrary, abstract goals? We show that, when goal spaces can be compressed, costly working-memory processes give way to internalized reward functions, enabling efficient goal-dependent reinforcement learning. @annecollins.bsky.social arxiv.org/abs/2509.06810
How do humans learn from arbitrary, abstract goals? We show that, when goal spaces can be compressed, costly working-memory processes give way to internalized reward functions, enabling efficient goal-dependent reinforcement learning. @annecollins.bsky.social arxiv.org/abs/2509.06810
Reward function compression facilitates goal-dependent reinforcement learning
Reinforcement learning agents learn from rewards, but humans can uniquely assign value to novel, abstract outcomes in a goal-dependent manner. However, this flexibility is cognitively costly, making l...
arxiv.org
September 9, 2025 at 1:58 AM
📢 New preprint!
How do humans learn from arbitrary, abstract goals? We show that, when goal spaces can be compressed, costly working-memory processes give way to internalized reward functions, enabling efficient goal-dependent reinforcement learning. @annecollins.bsky.social arxiv.org/abs/2509.06810
How do humans learn from arbitrary, abstract goals? We show that, when goal spaces can be compressed, costly working-memory processes give way to internalized reward functions, enabling efficient goal-dependent reinforcement learning. @annecollins.bsky.social arxiv.org/abs/2509.06810
Reposted by Gaia Molinaro
UC Davis is hiring! A tenure-track assistant professor of psychology, in human cognition or cognitive neuroscience #psychjobs recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07300
Assistant Professor of Psychology - Human Cognition or Cognitive Neuroscience
University of California, Davis is hiring. Apply now!
recruit.ucdavis.edu
September 8, 2025 at 7:57 PM
UC Davis is hiring! A tenure-track assistant professor of psychology, in human cognition or cognitive neuroscience #psychjobs recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07300
Reposted by Gaia Molinaro
My lab at UCLA is hiring 1-2 PhD students this cycle!
Join us to work at the intersection of cognitive science and AI applied to pressing societal challenges like climate change.
More info about me: rachit-dubey.github.io
My lab: ucla-cocopol.github.io
Please help repost/spread the word!
Join us to work at the intersection of cognitive science and AI applied to pressing societal challenges like climate change.
More info about me: rachit-dubey.github.io
My lab: ucla-cocopol.github.io
Please help repost/spread the word!
September 3, 2025 at 12:19 AM
My lab at UCLA is hiring 1-2 PhD students this cycle!
Join us to work at the intersection of cognitive science and AI applied to pressing societal challenges like climate change.
More info about me: rachit-dubey.github.io
My lab: ucla-cocopol.github.io
Please help repost/spread the word!
Join us to work at the intersection of cognitive science and AI applied to pressing societal challenges like climate change.
More info about me: rachit-dubey.github.io
My lab: ucla-cocopol.github.io
Please help repost/spread the word!
Reposted by Gaia Molinaro
JOB ALERT: Computational Cognitive Neuroscience Postdoc position in Osaka, Japan! Possible start in October 2025 (contact me ASAP), or from April 2026. PLEASE REPOST! #postdocjobs #neuroskyence #neuroscience #psychscisky #compneurosky #neurojobs 1/
July 18, 2025 at 3:34 AM
JOB ALERT: Computational Cognitive Neuroscience Postdoc position in Osaka, Japan! Possible start in October 2025 (contact me ASAP), or from April 2026. PLEASE REPOST! #postdocjobs #neuroskyence #neuroscience #psychscisky #compneurosky #neurojobs 1/
Reposted by Gaia Molinaro
🚨 We’re hiring! The Computational Cognitive Neuroscience Lab at Virginia Tech is looking for a postdoc to join our team studying the neural + computational mechanisms of structure learning and flexible cognition: ccnvt.github.io#positions
CCN Lab
ccnvt.github.io
July 10, 2025 at 12:17 PM
🚨 We’re hiring! The Computational Cognitive Neuroscience Lab at Virginia Tech is looking for a postdoc to join our team studying the neural + computational mechanisms of structure learning and flexible cognition: ccnvt.github.io#positions
Reposted by Gaia Molinaro
Generative AI is a cultural transmission technology:
it plays a growing role in generation, selection and transmission of ideas/opinions in human society 🧠🔄🌐
And yet we understand very little of this dynamics at this point 🤔❓
A step forward is our #ICLR2025 paper !👇
it plays a growing role in generation, selection and transmission of ideas/opinions in human society 🧠🔄🌐
And yet we understand very little of this dynamics at this point 🤔❓
A step forward is our #ICLR2025 paper !👇
April 25, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Generative AI is a cultural transmission technology:
it plays a growing role in generation, selection and transmission of ideas/opinions in human society 🧠🔄🌐
And yet we understand very little of this dynamics at this point 🤔❓
A step forward is our #ICLR2025 paper !👇
it plays a growing role in generation, selection and transmission of ideas/opinions in human society 🧠🔄🌐
And yet we understand very little of this dynamics at this point 🤔❓
A step forward is our #ICLR2025 paper !👇
What's wrong with evaluating #LLMs after a single interaction? Come find out @iclr-conf.bsky.social and learn how cultural attraction theory can help us do better. Poster #288, 10 am.
April 23, 2025 at 10:11 PM
What's wrong with evaluating #LLMs after a single interaction? Come find out @iclr-conf.bsky.social and learn how cultural attraction theory can help us do better. Poster #288, 10 am.
Have you ever gotten lost in fantasies and thought to yourself, "What a waste of time"? Well, think again! In our new piece in Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, Moshe Bar and I explain one reason why spontaneous thoughts, even when seemingly useless, may be key to human intelligence.
March 12, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Have you ever gotten lost in fantasies and thought to yourself, "What a waste of time"? Well, think again! In our new piece in Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, Moshe Bar and I explain one reason why spontaneous thoughts, even when seemingly useless, may be key to human intelligence.
Stop by @neuripsconf.bsky.social poster #3909 11 am - 2 pm today if you want to wish me a happy birthday, hear about goal selection in RL, or both! @pyoudeyer.bsky.social @annecollins.bsky.social
I'm excited to announce that this work has been accepted at
@blog.neurips.cc.web.brid.gy 🧠🤖 We hope to spark conversations on goal selection in biological and artificial agents.
Check it out at openreview.net/forum?id=Gbq...
With Cédric Colas, Pierre-Yves Oudeyer, & Anne Collins
@blog.neurips.cc.web.brid.gy 🧠🤖 We hope to spark conversations on goal selection in biological and artificial agents.
Check it out at openreview.net/forum?id=Gbq...
With Cédric Colas, Pierre-Yves Oudeyer, & Anne Collins
December 11, 2024 at 5:47 PM
Stop by @neuripsconf.bsky.social poster #3909 11 am - 2 pm today if you want to wish me a happy birthday, hear about goal selection in RL, or both! @pyoudeyer.bsky.social @annecollins.bsky.social
I'm excited to announce that this work has been accepted at
@blog.neurips.cc.web.brid.gy 🧠🤖 We hope to spark conversations on goal selection in biological and artificial agents.
Check it out at openreview.net/forum?id=Gbq...
With Cédric Colas, Pierre-Yves Oudeyer, & Anne Collins
@blog.neurips.cc.web.brid.gy 🧠🤖 We hope to spark conversations on goal selection in biological and artificial agents.
Check it out at openreview.net/forum?id=Gbq...
With Cédric Colas, Pierre-Yves Oudeyer, & Anne Collins
November 18, 2024 at 8:20 PM
I'm excited to announce that this work has been accepted at
@blog.neurips.cc.web.brid.gy 🧠🤖 We hope to spark conversations on goal selection in biological and artificial agents.
Check it out at openreview.net/forum?id=Gbq...
With Cédric Colas, Pierre-Yves Oudeyer, & Anne Collins
@blog.neurips.cc.web.brid.gy 🧠🤖 We hope to spark conversations on goal selection in biological and artificial agents.
Check it out at openreview.net/forum?id=Gbq...
With Cédric Colas, Pierre-Yves Oudeyer, & Anne Collins
No time to read? A 5-minute summary of this paper is now out on YouTube! youtu.be/fkPt9a5OvTs?...
June 17, 2024 at 2:48 PM
No time to read? A 5-minute summary of this paper is now out on YouTube! youtu.be/fkPt9a5OvTs?...
How do we decide which goals to pursue? Here, we introduce the notion of *latent learning progress* to explain human goal selection and inspire advances in the development of autotelic machines. osf.io/preprints/ps...
With Cédric Colas, Pierre-Yves Oudeyer, and Anne Collins
With Cédric Colas, Pierre-Yves Oudeyer, and Anne Collins
OSF
https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/5dtx3…
June 8, 2024 at 5:32 PM
How do we decide which goals to pursue? Here, we introduce the notion of *latent learning progress* to explain human goal selection and inspire advances in the development of autotelic machines. osf.io/preprints/ps...
With Cédric Colas, Pierre-Yves Oudeyer, and Anne Collins
With Cédric Colas, Pierre-Yves Oudeyer, and Anne Collins
The notion that goals are central to human cognition is intuitive, yet learning and decision-making researchers have often overlooked the topic. In this Trends in Cognitive Sciences review, @annecollins.bsky.social and I propose it’s time to start studying goals in their own right 🧠 t.co/He6PIpQdt9
November 14, 2023 at 6:09 PM
The notion that goals are central to human cognition is intuitive, yet learning and decision-making researchers have often overlooked the topic. In this Trends in Cognitive Sciences review, @annecollins.bsky.social and I propose it’s time to start studying goals in their own right 🧠 t.co/He6PIpQdt9