Naturalistic tasks
Traditional experimental paradigms are often far removed from everyday experiences. However, recent advances in computational approaches (software to design experiments, like video game engines and modelling of complex behaviour) make it possible to design tasks that better capture cognitions relevant for real life. We use this approach to understand cognition, underlying brain mechanisms and their link to real-life traits (e.g. psychiatric symptoms).
Sequential choices as key aspect of naturalistic behaviour (Kolling* and Scholl* et al., 2018 )
One important real-life aspect that is not captured in traditional tasks is that choices are sequential. In a traditional task, one would be presented with independent trials in which to make discrete choices between several options. In contrast, in real life, we have often freedom what to do when for how long (imagine looking for a job, deciding when an offer you get is good enough or when to keep searching for a better one). Here, we captured this in a task in which participants engaged with a sequence of choices, themselves determining when to stop. To do well in the task, participants needed to plan ahead, considering what they might do in the future and their personal biases (a real life example would be avoiding going to the pub if you think you might end up drinking too much once there). We found that participants indeed were able to plan ahead (related to activation in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex), taking into account their future behaviour biases.
An ancient subcortical network for foraging under threat (Trier et al., preprint)
In this study, we combined a naturalistic task (foraging under threat) with high resolution brain imaging (7T) with FMRI. This was necessary because many evolutionary ancients brain circuits (e.g. habenula or ventral tegmental area) involved with the processing of threat are found in deep regions of the brain and small. They are therefore only rarely studied in humans. In the task, participants played a fish who had to forage for algae, while intermittently checking for predation threat (e.g. sharks) and hide from the threat as appropriate. We found that transitioning from foraging to checking (for the presence of threat) behaviour activated a network of cortical and subcortical areas.
