Developing models for learning and exploration

Abstract

Learning and exploration are fundamental processes that enable individuals to acquire knowledge and skills necessary for adaptation to their environment. Despite their importance, the specific cognitive mechanisms that underlie these processes are still not fully understood. What are the cognitive processes that support learning across the lifespan? To what extent is this learning active from infancy? What computational principles guide exploration? The current work addresses these questions by means of an empirical model-based approach. Specifically, we employed novel behavioural and eye-tracking paradigms, in conjunction with computational modelling, to gain a more in-depth understanding of the principles that guide human learning and exploration, how they change across development, and how they vary across individuals.