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Lab

Applications for the 2025 PhD cohort are closed.
 
If you're interested in working in the lab as a postdoc or full-time research staff, please send me a brief (~2 paragraph) message describing your research experience and interests. Include a CV, email addresses of up to three references, and any relevant manuscripts you've worked on (preprints ok!). I do not respond to messages that appear to have been written using ChatGPT or similar tools.
 
UCI undergraduates: UCI students may join the lab at any time, when there are available research projects. Undergraduates are always welcome to attend lab meetings to learn more about our work - reach out for details. Advanced undergraduates may sign up for 199 course credit and/or an Honors project.

Preprints

Banavar NV, Bornstein AM. Variability in Complex Constructs: Inferring risk preference and temporal discounting. [pdf]
 
Banavar NV, Bornstein AM. Independent, not irrelevant: Trial order causes systematic misestimation of economic choice traits. [pdf] [supplement] [rldm 2022] [iccm 2021]
 
Hadj-Amar B, Bornstein AM, Guindani M, Vannucci M. Discrete Autoregressive Switching Processes in Sparse Graphical Modeling of Multivariate Time Series Data. [pdf]
 
Harhen NC, Budiono R, Hartley CA*, Bornstein AM*. Developmental differences in exploration reveal underlying differences in structure inference. [pdf] [code] [ccn 2024]
 
Hunter LE*, Bornstein AM*, Hartley CA. A common deliberative process underlies model-based planning and patient intertemporal choice. [pdf]
 
Noh SM, Cooper KW, Stark CEL, Bornstein AM. Multi-step planning can be improved across the human lifespan with individualized memory interventions. [pdf]
 
Yoo J, Bornstein AM. Temporal dynamics of model-based control reveal arbitration between multiple task representations. [pdf] [supplement] [rldm 2022]

Publications

2025

Schetzsle B, Lee J, Bornstein AM, Shahbaba B, Guindani M (2025). A Bayesian Time-Varying Psychophysiological Interaction Model. Data Science in Science, 4(1):2519436. [pdf]
 
Khoudary A, Bornstein AM*, Peters MAK* (2025). Investigating implicit and explicit expectations in perceptual decision making. Proceedings of the 47th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society. [pdf]
 
Khoudary A, Peters MAK*, Bornstein AM* (2025). Reasoning goals and representational decisions in computational cognitive neuroscience: a case study from bounded evidence accumulation. European Journal of Neuroscience, 61:e7009. [pdf] [SPAN blog]
 


2024

Banavar NV, Noh SM, Wahlheim CN, Cassidy BS, Kirwan CB, Stark CEL, Bornstein AM (2024). A response time model of the three-choice Mnemonic Similarity Task provides stable, mechanistically interpretable individual-difference measures. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 18:137928. [pdf] [iccm 2022]
 
Yoo J, Chrastil ER, Bornstein AM (2024). Cognitive graphs: Representational substrates for planning. Decision, 11(4), 537-556. [pdf]
 
Chen Y, Harhen NC, Stout DA, Bornstein AM (2024). Early life unpredictability modulates planning horizon in a structured foraging task. Cognitive Computational Neuroscience. [pdf]
 
Yoo J, Zhou D, Bornstein AM (2024). Latent cause inference as an efficient and flexible learning rule for cognitive graphs. Cognitive Computational Neuroscience. [pdf]
 
Zhou D, Noh SM, Yassa MA, Bornstein AM (2024). Pattern separation using compressed and semantic representations of memory. Cognitive Computational Neuroscience. [pdf]
 
Chen J, Bornstein AM. (2024). The causal structure and computational value of narratives. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 28(8):769-781. [pdf]
 
Zhou D, Bornstein AM (2024). Expanding horizons in reinforcement learning for curious exploration and creative planning (Commentary on Ivancovsky et al). Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 47, e118. [pdf]
 
Banavar NV, Bornstein AM (2024). Multi-plasticities: Distinguishing context-specific habits from complex perseverations. In Y. Vandaele (Ed.). Habits - Their Definition, Neurobiology and Role in Addiction. Cham, Switzerland: Springer Nature. [pdf]
 
Harhen NC, Bornstein AM (2024). Interval timing as a computational pathway from early life adversity to affective disorders. Topics in Cognitive Science, 16(2024):92-112. [pdf] [iccm 2022]

2023

Noh SM, Singla UK, Bennett IJ, Bornstein AM (2023). Memory precision and age differentially predict the use of decision-making strategies across the lifespan. Scientific Reports, 13:17014. [pdf]
 
Bornstein AM, Aly M, Feng SF, Turk-Browne NB, Norman KA, Cohen JD (2023). Associative memory retrieval modulates upcoming perceptual decisions. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 23:645-665. [pdf] [supplement] [data] [code] [psychonomic society blog post]
 

• Harhen NC, Bornstein AM (2023). Overharvesting in human patch foraging reflects rational structure learning and adaptive planning. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(13):e2216524120. [pdf] [supplement] [code&data] [submitted cover (artist)] [rldm 2022] [iccm 2021]

2022

Otto AR, Devine S, Schultz E, Bornstein AM*, Louie K* (2022). Context-dependent choice and evaluation in real-world consumer behavior. Scientific Reports, 12:17744. [pdf] [supplement] [code&data]
 
Khoudary A, Peters MAK*, Bornstein AM* (2022). Precision-weighted evidence integration predicts time-varying influence of memory on perceptual decisions. Cognitive Computational Neuroscience. [pdf] [code]
 
Rmus M, Ritz H, Hunter LE, Bornstein AM*, Shenhav A* (2022). Humans can navigate complex graph structures acquired during latent learning. Cognition, 225:105103. [pdf] [supplement]
 


2021

Wang S, Feng SF, Bornstein AM (2021). Mixing memory and desire: How dynamic reactivation of multiple memory representations guides decisions for reward. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews in Cognitive Science, e1581. [pdf] [cover (artist)]
 
Harhen NC, Hartley CA, Bornstein AM (2021). Model-based foraging using latent-cause inference. Proceedings of the 43rd Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society. [pdf] [code&data]

2020

Rouhani N, Norman KA, Niv Y, Bornstein AM (2020). Reward prediction errors create event boundaries in memory. Cognition, 203:104269. [pdf]
 
Bornstein AM*, Pickard H* (2020). Chasing the first high: Memory sampling in drug choice. Neuropsychopharmacology, 45(6):907-915. [pdf] [research highlight] [cover]

2019

Kane GA, Bornstein AM, Shenhav A, Wilson RC, Daw ND, Cohen JD (2019). Rats exhibit similar biases in foraging and intertemporal choice tasks. eLife, 8:e48429. [pdf]
 
Millner AJ, den Ouden HEM, Gershman SJ, Glenn CR, Kearns J, Bornstein AM, Marx BP, Keane TM, Nock MK (2019). Suicidal thoughts and behaviors are associated with an increased decision-making bias for active responses to escape aversive states. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 128(2):106-118.

2018 and before

Hoskin AN, Bornstein AM, Norman KA, Cohen JD (2018). Refresh my memory: Episodic memory reinstatements intrude on working memory maintenance. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 19:338-354. [pdf] [supplement] [data]
 
Bornstein AM, Khaw MW, Shohamy D, Daw ND (2017). Reminders of past choices bias decisions for reward in humans. Nature Communications, 8:15958. [pdf] [supplement] [news & views]
 
Bornstein AM, Norman KA (2017). Reinstated episodic context guides sampling-based decisions for reward. Nature Neuroscience, 20:997-1003. [pdf] [supplement] [news & views] [data]
 
Kane GA, Bornstein AM, Shenhav A, Wilson RC, Daw ND, Cohen JD (2017). Mechanisms of overharvesting in patch foraging. Proceedings of the 39th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society, 637-642. [pdf]
 
Bornstein AM*, Constantino SM* (2017). Nudge back: Towards a taxonomy of scientific rationalities. London Conference in Critical Thought. [abstract]
 
Bornstein AM, Miller KJ, Shenhav A (2015). Walking bundles of habits (and Response-Outcome associations). European Journal of Neuroscience, 41:1356-1357. [pdf]
 
Bornstein AM, Shvartsman M (2015). Distinguishing between descriptive and rational approaches to collapsing decision bounds. Unpublished JNeuro Journal Club submission. [pdf]
 
Bornstein AM (2014). Functions of the hippocampal memory system in instrumental control. Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global (3614853). [introduction] [conclusion]
 
Bornstein AM, Daw ND (2013). Cortical and hippocampal correlates of deliberation during model-based decisions for rewards in humans. PLoS Computational Biology, 9(12):e1003387. [pdf] [supplement]
 
Bornstein AM, Constantino SM (2012). The temporal dynamics of value-based decisions in humans. Unpublished JNeuro Journal Club submission. [pdf]
 
Bornstein AM, Daw ND (2012). Dissociating hippocampal and striatal contributions to sequential prediction learning. European Journal of Neuroscience, 35:1011-1023. [pdf] [supplement]
 
Bornstein AM, Daw ND (2011). Multiplicity of control in the basal ganglia: Computational roles of striatal subregions. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 21(3):374-380. [pdf]
 
Bornstein AM, Nylen EL, Steele SA (2011). Unblocking the neural substrates of model-based value. Journal of Neuroscience, 31(28):10117-10118. [pdf]
 
Preston AR, Bornstein AM, Hutchinson JB, Gaare ME, Glover GH, Wagner AD (2010). High-resolution fMRI of content-sensitive subsequent memory responses in human medial temporal lobe. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 22:156-173.
 
Floares A, Jakary A, Bornstein A, Deicken R (2006). Neural networks and Classification and Regression Trees are able to distinguish females with major depression from healthy controls using neuroimaging data. Proceedings of the IEEE International Joint Conference of Neural Networks, 2006, 4605-4611.

Organizing

(2023) UCI Conte Center annual symposium, organized with the Conte Center Team.
 
(2022) NSF-Simons NeuroDataScience Workshop, organized with Norbert Fortin and Babak Shahbaba.
 
(20202021) Center for Neurobiology of Learning and Memory Spring Conference, co-chaired with Lulu Chen.
 
(2018) Princeton Neuroscience Institute "Inside-Out seminars", organized with Ahmed El Hady.
 
(2018) "Goal-Directed Decision Making: Computations and Neural Circuits", book edited with Richard W. Morris and Amitai Shenhav. [pdf]
 
(2015) "Memory in action: The role(s) of the hippocampus in decisions for reward", Cosyne workshop organized with Elliott Wimmer.

Writing in popular media

2024.05 Out of the mouth of bots: Two myths of child genius and generative machines, with Emily Wells, for the Los Angeles Review of Books Quarterly #41.
 
2017.12 The Hard Problem of Fairness, for Nautilus Magazine #55.
 
2016.08 Machine learning, human interpretations, for Nautilus Magazine #40.

Other

UCI Prison Bachelor's Program
 
Princeton Prison Teaching Initiative
 

Arron Aron Bornstein Aaron Bronstein Aaron Bornstien MIT Stanford NYU Princeton Irvine UCI aaron@bornstein.org aaronb@nyu.edu aaronb@cns.nyu.edu aaronmb@mit.edu aaronb@mit.edu aaronmb@alum.mit.edu aaronmb@princeton.edu aaron.bornstein@uci.edu bornstea@uci.edu neuroscience psychology economics brains math mathematics hippocampus striatum reinforcement learning episodic memory netris Andre Bretton-Woods Andre Breton-Woods Black Swann's Way