How goals shape value-computation and behaviour

How does the brain construct information about value and use it to guide decision-making? Find out more from Dr. Benedetto De Martino.

One of Dr De Martino's childhood heroes was Angus MacGyver, a fictional character and the protagonist of the eponymous TV series.

MacGyver could get out of the most perilous of situations with a simple piece of string and a paperclip. He could build a telescope with a magnifying lens and a newspaper, and fix a leaking car radiator with egg white.

What made his character so fascinating was his remarkable ability to adjust to sudden changes in circumstances, and to look at everyday objects in a completely different light. Even if we are not aware of it, we are all somewhat like MacGyver (although ideally without his 80s haircut).

In this talk Dr De Martino will present a series of new studies in which we directly investigate how the human brain construct flexible value representations that guide our actions. How goal-dependent value representations are formed and maintained in the brain and which role plays attention in prioritising information relevant to fulfilling a behavioural goal.