Collaborative Research: Interaction of sensory and response processes in decision making

感知决策，即从感官信息中快速得出推论并做出适当反应的行为，是人类行为的重要基础。决策中的感觉和反应过程之间的时间和相互作用是这个合作研究计划的重点。神经科学数据显示，反应计划可能在感知处理完成之前就开始了，这表明感知和行动的相互作用可能是决策的一个关键方面。为了研究这一点，我们开发了新的实验，使用人类脑电图（EEG）来测量感知，注意力和运动过程的时间过程。我们将来自历史上一直未得到高等教育STEM项目服务的社区的学生直接纳入这项研究，通过课程，全天科学活动和为期三周的暑期学校。有一个紧密的对应，在教育活动的课程，使这些学生在整个项目期间进行新的研究，由研究人员支持。研究生在这些学生项目的开发和实施中发挥着至关重要的作用。这些教育计划将提供给其他机构，寻求通过神经科学的研究培训，以加强STEM教育。所有的实验都利用创新的单次试验脑电图方法来测量感知和运动活动的动态，而参与者对放置在不同背景下的刺激做出决定。新的实验方法被用来跟踪和操纵的时间过程中的注意力控制的感觉信息流在大脑中。独特的触觉感知和决策实验将开拓感知神经科学的新领域。暑期学校课程的重点是学生提出，编程，运行，分析和展示自己的研究。课程包括编程技能，矩阵代数和信号处理技能，以及统计方法。目标是让学生设计，控制和分析人类神经科学实验。与研究生和教师导师的互动将使学生能够实现他们的项目，并发展他们追求科学事业的抱负。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

Perceptual decision-making, the act of quickly drawing inferences from sensory information and making appropriate responses, is a critical foundation of human behavior. The timing and the interaction between sensory and response processes in decision making are the focus of this collaborative research program. Neuroscience data has revealed that response planning may be engaged before perceptual processing finishes suggesting that the interaction of perception and action may be a critical aspect of making decisions. To investigate this, we develop novel experiments that use human electroencephalography (EEG) to measure the time course of perception, attention, and motor processes. We incorporate students from communities that have historically been underserved by higher education STEM programs directly into this research through courses, all-day science events, and a three-week summer school. There is a tight correspondence where curricula in the educational activities enable these students to carry out novel research throughout the project period supported by researchers. Graduate students play a critical role in the development and implementation of these student projects. These educational programs will be made available to other institutions that seek to enhance STEM education through research training in neuroscience.All of the experiments make use of innovations in single-trial EEG methods for measuring the dynamics of perceptual and motor activity while participants make decisions about stimuli placed in varying contexts. Novel experimental methods are used to track and manipulate the time-course of attentional control of the flow of sensory information in the brain. A new area of perceptual neuroscience will be developed with unique tactile perception and decision making experiments. The summer school curriculum focuses on students proposing, programming, running, analyzing, and presenting their own research. The curriculum incorporates programming skills, matrix algebra and signal processing skills, and statistical methods. The goal is for the students to design, control, and analyze human neuroscience experiments. Interactions with graduate students and faculty mentors will enable students to realize their projects and develop their ambitions to pursue science careers.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.