BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk// X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Affect &\; Decision-Making in Health and Disease - Professor Ta li Sharot\, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience\, Department of Experiment al Psychology\, University College London DTSTART:20200124T163000Z DTEND:20200124T180000Z UID:TALK135892@talks.cam.ac.uk CONTACT:Louise White DESCRIPTION:The ability to use information to adaptively guide behavior is central to intelligence. I will present our recent research characterizin g the influence of affect on how humans gather\, and use\, information to make predictions. First\, I will present a framework for understanding how people decide whether to seek information. One key component is whether t he information is likely to produce a positive or negative affective respo nse. This influence of valence on information-seeking is captured by brai n regions along the dopamine reward pathway. The findings yield prediction s about information-seeking behavior in disorders in which the dopamine sy stem malfunctions. We have begun to test these predictions\, aiming to use measures of information-seeking to facilitate early detection\, monitorin g and treatment selection for psychopathology. Second\, I will show that l earning in response to positive and negative information involves distinct mechanisms. This segregation of function allows for flexibility in how po sitive and negative information influence beliefs and actions in different environments\, for instance as a function of the level of threat. \n \nTa li Sharot is a Professor Cognitive Neuroscientist at University College Lo ndon where she directs the Affective Brain Lab. Prof. Sharot is a Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow. Past fellowships also include the Wellcome Trust Career Development Fellowship\, Fellow of the Forum of European Phil osophy and British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship. Sharot is also the aut hor of two award-winning books\; The Optimism Bias and The Influential Min d. Sharot received her Ph.D in psychology and neuroscience from New York U niversity and her B.A in psychology and economics from Tel Aviv University .\n LOCATION:Ground Floor Lecture Theatre\, Department of Psychology END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR