Hayley Dorfman
@hayleydorfman.bsky.social
ORISE Intelligence Community Postdoc @Harvard || agency, affect, & uncertainty in learning, decision-making, & computational psychiatry || www.hayleydorfman.com
Reposted by Hayley Dorfman
I'm hoping to recruit a new PhD student to join my lab at Brown (@browncopsy.bsky.social) this cycle. Applications are due Nov 15. Please apply! To read about our whole deal: levarilab.com
Levari Lab
The Levari Lab at Brown University uses social and cognitive psychology to study the behavioral science of performance evaluation, improvement, and learning.
levarilab.com
October 8, 2026 at 2:23 PM
I'm hoping to recruit a new PhD student to join my lab at Brown (@browncopsy.bsky.social) this cycle. Applications are due Nov 15. Please apply! To read about our whole deal: levarilab.com
Reposted by Hayley Dorfman
Excited to be launching our new PhD program in Minds and Machines at UCL with co-Directors Tali Sharot and @nadinedijkstra.bsky.social
To apply, find out more here: www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc...
Our launch event is on Nov 10th, with a cracking lineup of speakers: luma.com/cikzcth0
To apply, find out more here: www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc...
Our launch event is on Nov 10th, with a cracking lineup of speakers: luma.com/cikzcth0
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in
October 5, 2026 at 9:56 AM
Excited to be launching our new PhD program in Minds and Machines at UCL with co-Directors Tali Sharot and @nadinedijkstra.bsky.social
To apply, find out more here: www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc...
Our launch event is on Nov 10th, with a cracking lineup of speakers: luma.com/cikzcth0
To apply, find out more here: www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc...
Our launch event is on Nov 10th, with a cracking lineup of speakers: luma.com/cikzcth0
Reposted by Hayley Dorfman
📣 Save the date!
RLDM 2027, the Multi-disciplinary Conference on Reinforcement Learning and Decision Making, is coming to Paris, July 6-9, 2027 🎉
Stay tuned for submission deadlines and more updates on our website rldm.org 👀
RLDM 2027, the Multi-disciplinary Conference on Reinforcement Learning and Decision Making, is coming to Paris, July 6-9, 2027 🎉
Stay tuned for submission deadlines and more updates on our website rldm.org 👀
September 29, 2026 at 11:02 AM
📣 Save the date!
RLDM 2027, the Multi-disciplinary Conference on Reinforcement Learning and Decision Making, is coming to Paris, July 6-9, 2027 🎉
Stay tuned for submission deadlines and more updates on our website rldm.org 👀
RLDM 2027, the Multi-disciplinary Conference on Reinforcement Learning and Decision Making, is coming to Paris, July 6-9, 2027 🎉
Stay tuned for submission deadlines and more updates on our website rldm.org 👀
Reposted by Hayley Dorfman
The CATS Lab is moving to Columbia next year, and I am recruiting a PhD student this cycle to start Fall 2027 in the Department of Psychology.
Learn more about how to apply here: psychology.columbia.edu/content/prep...
I am also recruiting a postdoc and staff for 2027. More info coming soon!
Learn more about how to apply here: psychology.columbia.edu/content/prep...
I am also recruiting a postdoc and staff for 2027. More info coming soon!
Preparing to Apply | Department of Psychology
psychology.columbia.edu
September 14, 2026 at 8:40 PM
The CATS Lab is moving to Columbia next year, and I am recruiting a PhD student this cycle to start Fall 2027 in the Department of Psychology.
Learn more about how to apply here: psychology.columbia.edu/content/prep...
I am also recruiting a postdoc and staff for 2027. More info coming soon!
Learn more about how to apply here: psychology.columbia.edu/content/prep...
I am also recruiting a postdoc and staff for 2027. More info coming soon!
Reposted by Hayley Dorfman
New paper with Liz Spelke, @rebeccasaxe.bsky.social, and @ashleyjthomas.bsky.social! We find that when 4- to 6-month-old infants observe two individuals share saliva, they infer that those individuals have a close relationship.
Free access link: authors.elsevier.com/a/1niQg_Oow0...
Free access link: authors.elsevier.com/a/1niQg_Oow0...
September 4, 2026 at 5:27 PM
New paper with Liz Spelke, @rebeccasaxe.bsky.social, and @ashleyjthomas.bsky.social! We find that when 4- to 6-month-old infants observe two individuals share saliva, they infer that those individuals have a close relationship.
Free access link: authors.elsevier.com/a/1niQg_Oow0...
Free access link: authors.elsevier.com/a/1niQg_Oow0...
Reposted by Hayley Dorfman
One week left to apply to the @sinaiccp.bsky.social New York Computational Psychiatry workshop!
💡 Learn more here: center-for-computational-psychiatry.github.io/course_nycpw/
📝 Apply here by 8/31: airtable.com/appU8UxfDSQh...
💡 Learn more here: center-for-computational-psychiatry.github.io/course_nycpw/
📝 Apply here by 8/31: airtable.com/appU8UxfDSQh...
⏰ One week left to apply for in-person attendance at the New York Computational Psychiatry Workshop!
Interested in using computational methods to advance our understanding of mental health?
👉 Apply now to explore and connect with others in the field: airtable.com/appU8UxfDSQh...
Interested in using computational methods to advance our understanding of mental health?
👉 Apply now to explore and connect with others in the field: airtable.com/appU8UxfDSQh...
August 24, 2026 at 2:31 PM
One week left to apply to the @sinaiccp.bsky.social New York Computational Psychiatry workshop!
💡 Learn more here: center-for-computational-psychiatry.github.io/course_nycpw/
📝 Apply here by 8/31: airtable.com/appU8UxfDSQh...
💡 Learn more here: center-for-computational-psychiatry.github.io/course_nycpw/
📝 Apply here by 8/31: airtable.com/appU8UxfDSQh...
Reposted by Hayley Dorfman
📣 New study out today! We show that the brain's language network stays remarkably stable with age — same topography, lateralization, selectivity and connectivity as in younger adults — while the domain-general multiple demand network showed altered activity patterns.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Preserved topography, lateralization, selectivity, and functional connectivity of the language network in older brains - Nature Communications
Here, the authors show that aging affects brain networks differently, with neural changes mirroring the preservation or decline of the cognitive functions they support. The multiple demand network exh...
www.nature.com
August 24, 2026 at 12:24 PM
📣 New study out today! We show that the brain's language network stays remarkably stable with age — same topography, lateralization, selectivity and connectivity as in younger adults — while the domain-general multiple demand network showed altered activity patterns.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Hayley Dorfman
📢New paper out today in @cognitionjournal.bsky.social led by Seoyoung Lee!
Does reward spread across multiple links in memory organized in a cognitive graph?
Yes! We see graded spread through a recalled (even if incorrect) learned graph. Reward preserves proximal structure to support decisions.
Does reward spread across multiple links in memory organized in a cognitive graph?
Yes! We see graded spread through a recalled (even if incorrect) learned graph. Reward preserves proximal structure to support decisions.
Reward selectively preserves relational structure in memory
Memories tend to form networks that reflect relationships between experiences. These networks, or cognitive graphs, have been used to study how struct…
authors.elsevier.com
August 8, 2026 at 12:56 PM
📢New paper out today in @cognitionjournal.bsky.social led by Seoyoung Lee!
Does reward spread across multiple links in memory organized in a cognitive graph?
Yes! We see graded spread through a recalled (even if incorrect) learned graph. Reward preserves proximal structure to support decisions.
Does reward spread across multiple links in memory organized in a cognitive graph?
Yes! We see graded spread through a recalled (even if incorrect) learned graph. Reward preserves proximal structure to support decisions.
Reposted by Hayley Dorfman
How do we make good decisions with little experience? Adults can rely on memories of past choices. In our new study in @pnas.org we show kids & teens do something similar–but what they remember turns out to be quite different! www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Developmental changes in memory structure and precision alter the use of retrieved episodes during decisions for reward | PNAS
Most widely studied option evaluation strategies rely on knowledge accumulated across
repeated experiences. But how should options be evaluated in ...
www.pnas.org
August 11, 2026 at 2:01 PM
How do we make good decisions with little experience? Adults can rely on memories of past choices. In our new study in @pnas.org we show kids & teens do something similar–but what they remember turns out to be quite different! www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Hayley Dorfman
🚨Now out in Science Advances @science.org: #Parkinson's patients off dopamine medication (PD-) explore too much and exploit too little. Modeling shows they overvalue uncertainty, not that they choose randomly. On levodopa (PD+) they become comparable to controls www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... 🧵👇
Dopamine depletion in Parkinson’s increases directed but not random exploration
Levodopa restores the balance between exploration and exploitation in Parkinson’s disease.
www.science.org
August 5, 2026 at 6:43 PM
🚨Now out in Science Advances @science.org: #Parkinson's patients off dopamine medication (PD-) explore too much and exploit too little. Modeling shows they overvalue uncertainty, not that they choose randomly. On levodopa (PD+) they become comparable to controls www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... 🧵👇
If you’re at #CCN2026 come stop by Sep’s poster at 2pm today! 🌵🤖👥
If you’re at CCN swing by at 2pm to hear about a social agency project I’ve been working on under the supervision of @joebarnby.com & @hayleydorfman.bsky.social (and Reuth Mirsky)
August 4, 2026 at 5:26 PM
If you’re at #CCN2026 come stop by Sep’s poster at 2pm today! 🌵🤖👥
Reposted by Hayley Dorfman
How does the brain represent the value of knowledge? In our paper--out now at Nature Neuroscience--we identify a representation of intrinsic information value within neural population structures in the orbitofrontal cortex in mice. www.nature.com/articles/s41593-026-02377-y #neuroskyence 🧠🧪 (1/8)
Representations of the intrinsic value of information in mouse orbitofrontal cortex - Nature Neuroscience
Mice are motivated to seek information of no extrinsic value. Recording neural activity in orbitofrontal cortex reveals a representation of the value of information that is distinct from the value of ...
www.nature.com
July 30, 2026 at 4:09 PM
How does the brain represent the value of knowledge? In our paper--out now at Nature Neuroscience--we identify a representation of intrinsic information value within neural population structures in the orbitofrontal cortex in mice. www.nature.com/articles/s41593-026-02377-y #neuroskyence 🧠🧪 (1/8)
Reposted by Hayley Dorfman
New paper alert! In this paper we were interested to formally test some of the assumptions made by computational psychiatrists - assumptions about parameter recoverability, reliability and validity. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
The recoverability, reliability, and generalizability of reward processing parameters and relation to mental health symptoms | Psychological Medicine | Cambridge Core
The recoverability, reliability, and generalizability of reward processing parameters and relation to mental health symptoms - Volume 56
www.cambridge.org
July 28, 2026 at 4:05 PM
New paper alert! In this paper we were interested to formally test some of the assumptions made by computational psychiatrists - assumptions about parameter recoverability, reliability and validity. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Reposted by Hayley Dorfman
We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher who wants to innovate at the intersection of cognitive science, neuroscience, and machine learning.
📍Munich
📅Flexible start: 10/2026–03/2027
⏳Full consideration by 14/08/2026
💼Funded for 2 years, extension possible
Discover, grow, collaborate, eat cake.
📍Munich
📅Flexible start: 10/2026–03/2027
⏳Full consideration by 14/08/2026
💼Funded for 2 years, extension possible
Discover, grow, collaborate, eat cake.
July 21, 2026 at 12:47 PM
We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher who wants to innovate at the intersection of cognitive science, neuroscience, and machine learning.
📍Munich
📅Flexible start: 10/2026–03/2027
⏳Full consideration by 14/08/2026
💼Funded for 2 years, extension possible
Discover, grow, collaborate, eat cake.
📍Munich
📅Flexible start: 10/2026–03/2027
⏳Full consideration by 14/08/2026
💼Funded for 2 years, extension possible
Discover, grow, collaborate, eat cake.
Reposted by Hayley Dorfman
Hi all! I’m looking for a full-time RA / lab manager (start date: late Aug or Sept, 1 year of funding guaranteed). Ideal candidate is a recent grad w/ relevant research experience. App review has begun, so if you’re interested, please apply here ASAP, by 7/12! Thx! phf.tbe.taleo.net/phf02/ats/ca...
Hiring Research Assistant, - Garden City, N.Y.
View job details and apply now
phf.tbe.taleo.net
July 6, 2026 at 7:16 PM
Hi all! I’m looking for a full-time RA / lab manager (start date: late Aug or Sept, 1 year of funding guaranteed). Ideal candidate is a recent grad w/ relevant research experience. App review has begun, so if you’re interested, please apply here ASAP, by 7/12! Thx! phf.tbe.taleo.net/phf02/ats/ca...
Reposted by Hayley Dorfman
🌟 Research Assistant opportunity 🌟
I'm looking for an RA to support research at The Centre for Human Brain Health (CHBH) on social information seeking and decision making, including fMRI and MEG 🧠
tinyurl.com/uob-chbh-ra
Deadline: 19th July, 23:59 UK time ⏳
Start: 7th September 🗓️
Please share 🔁
I'm looking for an RA to support research at The Centre for Human Brain Health (CHBH) on social information seeking and decision making, including fMRI and MEG 🧠
tinyurl.com/uob-chbh-ra
Deadline: 19th July, 23:59 UK time ⏳
Start: 7th September 🗓️
Please share 🔁
Research Associate - School of Psychology - 104433 - Grade 6
We welcome applications for a Research Associate / Lab Manager in the Centre for Human Brain Health (CHBH). The CHBH is a friendly, productive, and supportive environment where all colleagues can thri...
tinyurl.com
July 5, 2026 at 3:48 PM
🌟 Research Assistant opportunity 🌟
I'm looking for an RA to support research at The Centre for Human Brain Health (CHBH) on social information seeking and decision making, including fMRI and MEG 🧠
tinyurl.com/uob-chbh-ra
Deadline: 19th July, 23:59 UK time ⏳
Start: 7th September 🗓️
Please share 🔁
I'm looking for an RA to support research at The Centre for Human Brain Health (CHBH) on social information seeking and decision making, including fMRI and MEG 🧠
tinyurl.com/uob-chbh-ra
Deadline: 19th July, 23:59 UK time ⏳
Start: 7th September 🗓️
Please share 🔁
Reposted by Hayley Dorfman
Some of the first work related to my ERC is now available as a preprint 👉 arxiv.org/pdf/2606.20623
We model the learning of real-world melodies as resource-constrained inference over generative programs, with new implications for Rate-distortion theory: learning changes what is cheap to encode! 🧵👇
We model the learning of real-world melodies as resource-constrained inference over generative programs, with new implications for Rate-distortion theory: learning changes what is cheap to encode! 🧵👇
Most models of learning ask what you can represent. We think the real bottleneck is what you can afford to find, since searching for a good representation is itself expensive.
New preprint w/ @davidnagy.bsky.social, Peter Dayan & @thecharleywu.bsky.social 🧵👇
New preprint w/ @davidnagy.bsky.social, Peter Dayan & @thecharleywu.bsky.social 🧵👇
June 24, 2026 at 1:27 PM
Some of the first work related to my ERC is now available as a preprint 👉 arxiv.org/pdf/2606.20623
We model the learning of real-world melodies as resource-constrained inference over generative programs, with new implications for Rate-distortion theory: learning changes what is cheap to encode! 🧵👇
We model the learning of real-world melodies as resource-constrained inference over generative programs, with new implications for Rate-distortion theory: learning changes what is cheap to encode! 🧵👇
Reposted by Hayley Dorfman
📝 New preprint (co-led with Hannah Hamling as her NYU honors thesis!) 📝
🧠 Do adolescents learn differently in volatile versus stable environments? 🧠
Yes, and they seem to adapt their learning computations to a greater extent than adults! 😮 🤔
Preprint for deets (+ 👁️ data)
osf.io/preprints/ps...
🧠 Do adolescents learn differently in volatile versus stable environments? 🧠
Yes, and they seem to adapt their learning computations to a greater extent than adults! 😮 🤔
Preprint for deets (+ 👁️ data)
osf.io/preprints/ps...
OSF
osf.io
June 16, 2026 at 11:54 PM
📝 New preprint (co-led with Hannah Hamling as her NYU honors thesis!) 📝
🧠 Do adolescents learn differently in volatile versus stable environments? 🧠
Yes, and they seem to adapt their learning computations to a greater extent than adults! 😮 🤔
Preprint for deets (+ 👁️ data)
osf.io/preprints/ps...
🧠 Do adolescents learn differently in volatile versus stable environments? 🧠
Yes, and they seem to adapt their learning computations to a greater extent than adults! 😮 🤔
Preprint for deets (+ 👁️ data)
osf.io/preprints/ps...
Reposted by Hayley Dorfman
Postdoc job ad is now live!
faculty-emory.icims.com/jobs/168298/...
faculty-emory.icims.com/jobs/168298/...
June 16, 2026 at 3:27 PM
Postdoc job ad is now live!
faculty-emory.icims.com/jobs/168298/...
faculty-emory.icims.com/jobs/168298/...
Reposted by Hayley Dorfman
Post 6 “Ambiguity and confirmatory reward learning”
New paper from Hayley Dorfman (@hayleydorfman.bsky.social ) and Rahul Bhui ( @rbhui.bsky.social )
Read more here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
New paper from Hayley Dorfman (@hayleydorfman.bsky.social ) and Rahul Bhui ( @rbhui.bsky.social )
Read more here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Ambiguity and confirmatory reward learning
We tend to interpret feedback in ways that confirm our pre-existing beliefs. Such confirmatory tendencies are often viewed as cognitive flaws, but mig…
www.sciencedirect.com
June 10, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Post 6 “Ambiguity and confirmatory reward learning”
New paper from Hayley Dorfman (@hayleydorfman.bsky.social ) and Rahul Bhui ( @rbhui.bsky.social )
Read more here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
New paper from Hayley Dorfman (@hayleydorfman.bsky.social ) and Rahul Bhui ( @rbhui.bsky.social )
Read more here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Hayley Dorfman
Postdoc position available at postlab.psych.wisc.edu. Pls send cv to [email protected]
PO-STL-AB
Our interests in human memory and cognition encompass the cognitive and neural basis of working memory, attention, control, and consciousness.News Madison Symposium on Memory & Control. On 30 May 202...
postlab.psych.wisc.edu
June 12, 2026 at 7:44 PM
Postdoc position available at postlab.psych.wisc.edu. Pls send cv to [email protected]
Reposted by Hayley Dorfman
We often interpret ambiguous feedback in ways that confirm what we already believe.
A laugh can feel supportive or mocking.
A neutral email can feel encouraging or disappointing.
A new paper studies how this happens during reward learning.
A laugh can feel supportive or mocking.
A neutral email can feel encouraging or disappointing.
A new paper studies how this happens during reward learning.
June 10, 2026 at 5:30 PM
We often interpret ambiguous feedback in ways that confirm what we already believe.
A laugh can feel supportive or mocking.
A neutral email can feel encouraging or disappointing.
A new paper studies how this happens during reward learning.
A laugh can feel supportive or mocking.
A neutral email can feel encouraging or disappointing.
A new paper studies how this happens during reward learning.
🌵🏜️🌵 Out now in @cognitionjournal.bsky.social with @rbhui.bsky.social!
If your advisor sends you an unclear email, do you interpret it as good or bad? 😏😱
In a new paper, we show how people make inferences about this type of ambiguous feedback during learning.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
If your advisor sends you an unclear email, do you interpret it as good or bad? 😏😱
In a new paper, we show how people make inferences about this type of ambiguous feedback during learning.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Ambiguity and confirmatory reward learning
We tend to interpret feedback in ways that confirm our pre-existing beliefs. Such confirmatory tendencies are often viewed as cognitive flaws, but mig…
www.sciencedirect.com
June 8, 2026 at 8:41 PM
🌵🏜️🌵 Out now in @cognitionjournal.bsky.social with @rbhui.bsky.social!
If your advisor sends you an unclear email, do you interpret it as good or bad? 😏😱
In a new paper, we show how people make inferences about this type of ambiguous feedback during learning.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
If your advisor sends you an unclear email, do you interpret it as good or bad? 😏😱
In a new paper, we show how people make inferences about this type of ambiguous feedback during learning.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Hayley Dorfman
🚨Paper alert!🚨 Across 5 expts, @mileritayar.bsky.social's new JEPG paper shows that people explicitly avoid switching between attention control states. Using demand selection tasks, we find that people don't just avoid cognitive conflict, but also switching between congruent and incongruent trials.
June 5, 2026 at 4:32 PM
🚨Paper alert!🚨 Across 5 expts, @mileritayar.bsky.social's new JEPG paper shows that people explicitly avoid switching between attention control states. Using demand selection tasks, we find that people don't just avoid cognitive conflict, but also switching between congruent and incongruent trials.
Reposted by Hayley Dorfman
The LUMeN Lab at Emory is hiring ✨
We’re seeking a full-time RA/lab manager and a postdoc to work on new NIH-funded studies! Formal job ads/apps forthcoming. We’re eager to hit the ground running so please share these flyers and/or reach out if interested!
We’re seeking a full-time RA/lab manager and a postdoc to work on new NIH-funded studies! Formal job ads/apps forthcoming. We’re eager to hit the ground running so please share these flyers and/or reach out if interested!
June 3, 2026 at 4:10 PM
The LUMeN Lab at Emory is hiring ✨
We’re seeking a full-time RA/lab manager and a postdoc to work on new NIH-funded studies! Formal job ads/apps forthcoming. We’re eager to hit the ground running so please share these flyers and/or reach out if interested!
We’re seeking a full-time RA/lab manager and a postdoc to work on new NIH-funded studies! Formal job ads/apps forthcoming. We’re eager to hit the ground running so please share these flyers and/or reach out if interested!