Research
Rewards are a key driver of learning and behavior. In this line of research we investigate the affective processes involved in how humans process rewards and learn from them.
Learning to attribute affective value to our enviroment and to update it is a skill that shapes how we feel, think and behave. In our research, we try to parse mechanisms involved in this process, using powerful affective stimuli such as odors and tastes.
Reward seeking behaviors can become problematic. Our research aims to understand how and why the human brain is vulnerable to situations where choice behavior is hijacked in service of outcomes that are no longer valued by the individual.