Research

Peer-Reviewed Publications

Li, R. (2023). Children are adaptive decision-makers: How environment shapes decision preferences (A commentary on Harvey & Blake, 2022). Proceedings of the Royal Society B. [PubMed]

Sullivan, N.J.*, Li, R.*, & Huettel, S.A. (2022). Peer presence increases adolescents’ prosocial behavior by speeding the evaluation of rewards for others. Scientific Reports, 12. [open access article; OSF project]

Blankenstein, N.E., Huettel, S.A, & Li, R. (2021). Resolving ambiguity: Broadening the consideration of risky decision-making over adolescent development. Developmental Review, 62. [Science Direct]

Hall, S.A., Towe, S.L, Nadeem, M.T., Hobkirk, A.L., Hartley, B.W., Li, R., Huettel, S.A., & Meade, C.S. (2021). Hypoactivation in the precuneus and posterior cingulate cortex during ambiguous decision making in individuals with HIV. Journal of NeuroVirology, 27(3), 463-475. [PubMed]

Li, R., Utevsky, A.V., Huettel, S.A., Braams, B.R., Peters, S., Crone, E.A., & van Duijvenvoorde, A.C.K. (2019). Developmental maturation of the precuneus as a functional core of the default mode network. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 31(10), 1506-1519. [PubMed]

Kersey, A.J., Wakim, K.-M., Li, R., & Cantlon, J.F. (2019). Developing, mature, and unique functions of the child's brain in reading and mathematics. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 39. [open access article] 

Li, R. (2017). Flexing dual-systems models: How variable cognitive control in children informs our understanding of risk-taking across development. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 27, 91-98.  [open access article]

Li, R.*, Smith, D.V.*, Clithero, J.A., Venkatraman, V., Carter, R.M., & Huettel, S.A. (2017). Reason's enemy is not emotion: Engagement of cognitive control networks explains biases in gain/loss framing. The Journal of Neuroscience, 37(13), 3588-3598. [PubMed] [Duke Research Blog coverage] [NeuroVault]

Li, R., Roberts, R.C., Huettel, S.A., & Brannon, E.M. (2017). Five-year-olds do not show ambiguity aversion in a risk and ambiguity task with physical objects. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 159, 319-326. [PubMed] [GitHub]

Li, R., Brannon, E.M., & Huettel, S.A. (2015). Children do not exhibit ambiguity aversion despite intact familiarity bias. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 1-8. [open access article] [GitHub]

Vo, V.A., Li, R., Kornell, N., Pouget, A., & Cantlon, J.F. (2014). Young children bet on their numerical skills: Metacognition in the numerical domain. Psychological Science, 25(9), 1712-1721. [PubMed]

Park, J., Li, R., & Brannon, E.M. (2013). Neural connectivity patterns underlying symbolic number processing indicate mathematical achievement in children. Developmental Science, 17(12), 187-202. [PubMed]

Cantlon, J.F. & Li, R. (2013). Neural activity during natural viewing of Sesame Street statistically predicts test scores in early childhood. PLoS Biology, 11(1). [PLoS Biology open access article] [PLoS Bio weekly editors’ pick coverage] [National Geographic coverage]

Conference Presentations

Li, R., Sullivan, N.J., & Huettel, S.A. (2019). Peer presence increases adolescents’ prosocial behavior by speeding the evaluation of rewards for others. Poster presented at the Flux Congress, New York, NY.

Li, R., Utevsky, A.V., Huettel, S.A., Braams, B.R., Peters, S., Crone, E.A., & van Duijvenvoorde, A.C.K. (2018). Developmental emergence of precuneus as a functional core of the default mode network during rest. Poster presented at Big Data. Little Brains. Flux Satellite Conference, Chapel Hill, NC.

Li, R. & Huettel, S.A. (2018). Risk, ambiguity, and loss aversion predict everyday reckless behavior in adolescents and adults: Evidence from a multi-method approach. Oral presentation given at the North Carolina Cognition Conference, Chapel Hill, NC.

Li, R. & Huettel, S.A. (2017). Striatal reward anticipation decreases from adolescence to young adulthood - but only when watched by a peer. Oral presentation given at the Flux Congress, Portland, OR.

Sullivan, N.J., Li, R., & Huettel, S.A. (2017). Peer presence increases pro-social behavior due to shifts in the speed with which others' rewards are processed. Poster presented at the Society for Neuroeconomics Annual Meeting, Toronto, Canada.

Li, R., Utevsky, A.V., Huettel, S.A., Braams, B.R., Peters, S., Crone, E.A., & van Duijvenvoorde, A.C.K. (2016). Developmental emergence of precuneus as a functional core of the default mode network. Poster presented at the Flux Congress, St. Louis, MO.

Li, R., Smith, D.V.S., Clithero, J.A., Venkatraman, V., Carter, R.M., & Huettel, S.A. (2016). Reason's enemy is not emotion: Engagement of cognitive control networks explain biases in gain/loss framing. Poster presented at the Society for Neuroeconomics Annual Meeting, Berlin, Germany.

Li, R., Smith, D.V.S., Clithero, J.A., Venkatraman, V., Carter, R.M., & Huettel, S.A. (2016). Reason's enemy is not emotion: Engagement of cognitive control networks explain biases in gain/loss framing. Oral presentation given at the Interdisciplinary Symposium on Decision Neuroscience, Philadelphia, PA.

Smith, D.V.S., Li, R., Clithero, J.A., Venkatraman, V., Carter, R.M., & Huettel, S.A. (2016). Reason's enemy is not emotion: Engagement and disengagement of cognitive control networks explain biases in gain/loss framing. Poster presented at the Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention, Chicago, IL.

Li, R., Smith, D.V.S., Clithero, J.A., Venkatraman, V., Carter, R.M., & Huettel, S.A. (2015). Revisiting the dual-systems model of choice using fMRI: Cognitive engagement and disengagement explain biases in gain/loss framing. Oral paper presented at De Nederlandse Vereniging voor Psychonomie (The Dutch Association for Psychonomics) Winter Conference, Egmond aan Zee, the Netherlands.

Li, R., Brannon, E.M., & Huettel, S.A. (2015). Ambiguity aversion is absent in 8-year-old children. Poster presented at the Summer Institute for Bounded Rationality, Berlin, Germany. Best poster award.

Li, R., Brannon, E.M., & Huettel, S.A. (2014). Ambiguity aversion is absent in 8-year-old children. Poster presented at Flux Congress, Los Angeles, CA.

Li, R., & Cantlon, J.F. (2013). Children’s neural activity during natural viewing of educational television exhibits category-specific responses. Poster presented at the first annual Flux Congress, Pittsburgh, PA. [pdf]

Li, R. (2013). Children’s assessments of probability. Student data blitz talk given at D-CIDES conference: Decision making across the disciplines, Durham, NC.

Li, R., & Fitzsimons, G.M. (2013). Adolescents outsource self-regulation to parents only when parents are trusted. Poster presented at the Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Meeting, Seattle, WA. [pdf]

Park, J., Li, R., & Brannon, E.M. (2013). Neural development underlying symbolic number acquisition: An effective connectivity approach. Poster presented at the Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Meeting, Seattle, WA.

Vo, V., Li, R., Kornell, N., & Cantlon, J.F. (2012). Metacognition in children is specific to domain knowledge. Poster presented at Cognitive Science Society, Sapporo, Japan.

Li, R. & Cantlon, J.F. (2011). Children’s neural activity during natural viewing predicts their mathematics and verbal abilities. Poster presented at the Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Meeting, Montreal, Canada.

Li, R. & Cantlon, J.F. (2010). Children’s cortical activity while watching Sesame Street predicts math and verbal abilities. Poster presented at the annual Workshop on Concepts, Actions, and Objects: Functional and Neural Perspectives, Rovereto, Italy.

Cantlon, J.F. & Li, R. (2010). Children’s neural activity while watching Sesame Street predicts their math and verbal abilities. Poster presented at the biannual Attention and Performance Workshop, Paris, France.