Dr Rani Moran
Lecturer in Psychology
School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences
Queen Mary University of London
Queen Mary University of London
Research
Decision Making, Reinforcement Learning, Cognitive Maps, Human memory, Exploration Exploitation Dillema, Metacognition
Interests
Broadly, my research concerns the mechanisms supporting decision-making, memory and learning with a focus on how flexible control mechanisms guide behaviour. I seek to identify these mechanisms using cleverly crafted experimental designs, computational modelling, pharmacological manipulations, neuroimaging, and advanced statistical analysis of empirical data. My vision is that a better understanding of these processes will allow us to develop interventions promoting their effective usage.Current interests include:
- Model Based and Model Free Reinforcement Learning
- Credit Assignment
- The Functions of Cognitive Maps
- Sequential Sampling Models of Evidence Accumulation
- Exploration-Exploitation Dilemma
- Learning biases elicited by Disinformation
Publications
Publications of specific relevance to the Centre for Brain and Behaviour2024
Latent mechanisms of language disorganization relate to specific dimensions of psychopathologyFradkin I, Adams RA, Siegelman N, Moran R and Dolan RJ
Nature Mental Health, Springer Nature, 1-12.
25-11-2024
Decomposing dynamical subprocesses for compositional generalizationLuettgau L, Erdmann T, Veselic S, Stachenfeld KL, Kurth-Nelson Z, Moran R and Dolan RJ
Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences of The United States of America, Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences vol. 121 (46), e2408134121-e2408134121.
08-11-2024
Efficiency in redundancyGronau QF, Moran R and Eidels A
Scientific Reports, Springer Nature vol. 14 (1)
24-07-2024
Heuristics in risky decision-making relate to preferential representation of informationRussek EM, Moran R, Liu Y, Dolan RJ and Huys QJM
Nature Communications, Springer Nature vol. 15 (1)
20-05-2024
2023
71. A Transdiagnostic Investigation of the Computational Mechanisms of Formal Thought DisorderFradkin I, Adams R, Siegelman N, Moran R and Dolan R
Biological Psychiatry, Elsevier vol. 93 (9), s122-s123.
01-05-2023
A Transdiagnostic Investigation of the Computational Mechanisms of Formal Thought DisorderFradkin I, Adams R, Siegelman N, Moran R and Dolan R
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. vol. 93 (9), S122-S123.
01-01-2023
Learning from DisinformationVidal-Perez J, Dolan RJ and Moran R
2023 Conference on Cognitive Computational Neuroscience.
01-01-2023
Factorization of graphs in the compositional reuse of experienceLuettgau L, Moran R, Erdmann T, Veselic S, Stachenfeld KL, Kurth-Nelson Z and Dolan RJ
2023 Conference on Cognitive Computational Neuroscience.
01-01-2023
2022
Neurocomputational mechanisms of confidence in self and othersBang D, Moran R, Daw ND and Fleming SM
Nature Communications, Nature Research vol. 13 (1)
01-12-2022
Exploration heuristics decrease during youthDubois M, Bowler A, Moses-Payne ME, Habicht J, Moran R, Steinbeis N and Hauser TU
Cognitive, Affective and Behavioral Neuroscience, Springer Nature vol. 22 (5), 969-983.
01-10-2022
Diversity of opinions promotes herding in uncertain crowds.Navajas J, Armand O, Moran R, Bahrami B and Deroy O
Royal Society Open Science, The Royal Society vol. 9 (6), 191497-191497.
22-06-2022
Evidence integration and decision confidence are modulated by stimulus consistencyGlickman M, Moran R and Usher M
Nature Human Behaviour, Nature Research vol. 6 (7), 988-999.
04-04-2022
2021
Metacognitive asymmetries in visual perceptionMazor M, Moran R and Fleming SM
Neuroscience of Consciousness, Oxford University Press (Oup) vol. 2021 (1)
13-12-2021
Erratum to: Stage 1 registered report: metacognitive asymmetries in visual perception and Stage 2 registered report: metacognitive asymmetries in visual perceptionMazor M, Moran R and Fleming SM
Neuroscience of Consciousness, Oxford University Press (Oup) vol. 2021 (1)
13-12-2021
Dopamine enhances model-free credit assignment through boosting of retrospective model-based inferenceDeserno L, Moran R, Michely J, Lee Y, Dayan P and Dolan RJ
Elife, Elife Sciences Publications vol. 10
01-12-2021
The nature of Garner interference: The role of uncertainty, information, and variation in the breakdown in selective attentionNiv L, Moran R and Algom D
Cognition, Elsevier vol. 218
09-11-2021
Assigning the right credit to the wrong action: compulsivity in the general population is associated with augmented outcome-irrelevant value-based learningBullmore E, Dolan RJ, Goodyer I, Fonagy P, Jones P, Moutoussis M, Hauser T, Neufeld S, Romero-Garcia R, Clair MS, Vértes P, Whitaker K, Inkster B, Prabhu G, Ooi C, Toseeb U, Widmer B, Bhatti J, Villis L, Alrumaithi A, et al.
Translational Psychiatry, Springer Nature vol. 11 (1), 564-564.
05-11-2021
Dopamine Enhances Model-Free Credit Assignment Through Boosting of Retrospective Model-Based InferenceDeserno L, Moran R, Lee Y, Michely J, Dayan P and Dolan R
Biological Psychiatry, Elsevier vol. 89 (9)
01-05-2021
Efficiency and prioritization of inference-based credit assignmentMoran R, Dayan P and Dolan RJ
Current Biology, Cell Press vol. 31 (13), 2747-2756.e6.
21-04-2021
Metacognitive asymmetries in visual perceptionMazor M, Moran R and Fleming SM
Neuroscience of Consciousness, Oxford University Press vol. 2021 (2)
10-03-2021
Human subjects exploit a cognitive map for credit assignmentMoran R, Dayan P and Dolan RJ
Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Sciences vol. 118 (4)
26-01-2021
Model based planners reflect on their model-free propensitiesMoran R, Keramati M and Dolan RJ
Plos Computational Biology, Public Library of Science (Plos) vol. 17 (1)
07-01-2021
Human complex exploration strategies are enriched by noradrenaline-modulated heuristicsDubois M, Habicht J, Michely J, Moran R, Dolan RJ and Hauser TU
Elife, Elife vol. 10
04-01-2021
2020
Transferring structural knowledge across cognitive maps in humans and modelsMark S, Moran R, Parr T, Kennerley SW and Behrens TEJ
Nature Communications, Springer Nature vol. 11 (1)
22-09-2020
Social training reconfigures prediction errors to shape Self-Other boundariesEreira S, Hauser TU, Moran R, Story GW, Dolan RJ and Kurth-Nelson Z
Nature Communications, Springer Nature vol. 11 (1)
15-06-2020
Confidence drives a neural confirmation biasRollwage M, Loosen A, Hauser TU, Moran R, Dolan RJ and Fleming SM
Nature Communications, Springer Nature vol. 11 (1)
26-05-2020
Studying the dynamics of visual search behavior using RT hazard and micro-level speed–accuracy tradeoff functions: A role for recurrent object recognition and cognitive control processesPanis S, Moran R, Wolkersdorfer MP and Schmidt T
Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, Springer Nature vol. 82 (2), 689-714.
15-01-2020
Motor control drives visual bodily judgementsMaimon-Mor RO, Schone HR, Moran R, Brugger P and Makin TR
Cognition, Elsevier vol. 196
13-01-2020
Opportunities for emotion and mental health research in the resource-rationality frameworkRussek EM, Moran R, McNamee D, Reiter A, Liu Y, Dolan RJ and Huys QJM
Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Cambridge University Press (Cup) vol. 43
01-01-2020
2019
Credit assignment to state-independent task representations and its relationship with model-based decision makingShahar N, Moran R, Hauser TU, Kievit RA, McNamee D, Moutoussis M, Dolan RJ, Bullmore E, Dolan R, Goodyer I, Fonagy P, Jones P, , Hauser T, Neufeld S, Romero-Garcia R, St Clair M, Vértes P, Whitaker K, Inkster B, et al.
Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences of The United States of America, Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences vol. 116 (32), 15871-15876.
18-07-2019
Human noise blindness drives suboptimal cognitive inferenceHerce Castañón S, Moran R, Ding J, Egner T, Bang D and Summerfield C
Nature Communications, Springer Nature vol. 10 (1)
12-04-2019
Retrospective model-based inference guides model-free credit assignmentMoran R, Keramati M, Dayan P and Dolan RJ
Nature Communications, Springer Nature vol. 10 (1)
14-02-2019
Improving the reliability of model-based decision-making estimates in the two-stage decision task with reaction-times and drift-diffusion modelingShahar N, Hauser TU, Moutoussis M, Moran R, Keramati M, consortium N and Dolan RJ
Plos Computational Biology, Public Library of Science (Plos) vol. 15 (2)
13-02-2019
A mechanistic account of transferring structural knowledge across cognitive mapsMark S, Moran R, Parr T, Kennerley S and Behrens T
2019 Conference on Cognitive Computational Neuroscience.
01-01-2019
Confidence Drives a Neural Confirmation BiasRollwage M, Hauser T, Loosen A, Moran R, Dolan R and Fleming S
2019 Conference on Cognitive Computational Neuroscience.
01-01-2019
Dissociating different forms of random explorationDubois M, Habicht J, Michely J, Moran R, Dolan R and Hauser T
2019 Conference on Cognitive Computational Neuroscience.
01-01-2019
2018
A Remember/Know Examination of Free-recall Reveals Dissociative Roles of Item- and Context-Information over TimeSadeh T, Moran R, Stern Y and Goshen-Gottstein Y
Scientific Reports, Springer Nature vol. 8 (1)
10-09-2018
Formation of abstract task representations: Exploring dosage and mechanisms of working memory training effectsShahar N, Pereg M, Teodorescu AR, Moran R, Karmon-Presser A and Meiran N
Cognition, Elsevier vol. 181, 151-159.
10-09-2018
The standard Bayesian model is normatively invalid for biological brainsMoran R and Tsetsos K
Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Cambridge University Press (Cup) vol. 41
01-01-2018
2017
Confidence matching in group decision-makingBang D, Aitchison L, Moran R, Herce Castanon S, Rafiee B, Mahmoodi A, Lau JYF, Latham PE, Bahrami B and Summerfield C
Nature Human Behaviour, Springer Nature vol. 1 (6)
26-05-2017
An appeal against the item's death sentence: Accounting for diagnostic data patterns with an item-based model of visual searchMoran R, Liesefeld HR, Usher M and Müller HJ
Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Cambridge University Press (Cup) vol. 40
01-01-2017
Parallel attentive processing and pre-attentive guidanceMüller HJ, Liesefeld HR, Moran R and Usher M
Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Cambridge University Press (Cup) vol. 40
01-01-2017
2016
Thou shalt identify! The identifiability of two high-threshold models in confidence-rating recognition (and super-recognition) paradigmsMoran R
Journal of Mathematical Psychology, Elsevier vol. 73, 1-11.
01-08-2016
Reply to Davis-Stober et al.: Violations of rationality in a psychophysical task are not aggregation artifactsTsetsos K, Moran R, Moreland JC, Chater N, Usher M and Summerfield C
Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences of The United States of America, Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences vol. 113 (33), e4764-e4766.
26-07-2016
Search Efficiency as a Function of Target Saliency: The Transition From Inefficient to Efficient Search and BeyondLiesefeld HR, Moran R, Usher M, Müller HJ and Zehetleitner M
Journal of Experimental Psychology Human Perception & Performance, American Psychological Association (Apa) vol. 42 (6), 821-836.
01-06-2016
Economic irrationality is optimal during noisy decision makingTsetsos K, Moran R, Moreland J, Chater N, Usher M and Summerfield C
Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences of The United States of America, Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences vol. 113 (11), 3102-3107.
29-02-2016
2015
Serial vs. parallel models of attention in visual search: accounting for benchmark RT-distributionsMoran R, Zehetleitner M, Liesefeld HR, Müller HJ and Usher M
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, Springer Nature vol. 23 (5), 1300-1315.
03-12-2015
Decisions reduce sensitivity to subsequent informationBronfman ZZ, Brezis N, Moran R, Tsetsos K, Donner T and Usher M
Proceedings of The Royal Society B, The Royal Society vol. 282 (1810)
07-07-2015
Absolutely relative or relatively absolute: violations of value invariance in human decision makingTeodorescu AR, Moran R and Usher M
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, Springer Nature vol. 23 (1), 22-38.
29-05-2015
Old processes, new perspectives: Familiarity is correlated with (not independent of) recollection and is more (not equally) variable for targets than for luresMoran R and Goshen-Gottstein Y
Cognitive Psychology, Elsevier vol. 79, 40-67.
17-04-2015
Post choice information integration as a causal determinant of confidence: Novel data and a computational accountMoran R, Teodorescu AR and Usher M
Cognitive Psychology, Elsevier vol. 78, 99-147.
08-04-2015
2014
When items ‘pop into mind’: variability in temporal-context reinstatement in free-recallSadeh T, Moran R and Goshen-Gottstein Y
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, Springer Nature vol. 22 (3), 779-790.
24-10-2014
Optimal decision making in heterogeneous and biased environmentsMoran R
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, Springer Nature vol. 22 (1), 38-53.
14-06-2014
The Two RecollectionsBrainerd CJ, Gomes CFA and Moran R
Psychological Review, American Psychological Association (Apa) vol. 121 (4), 563-599.
01-01-2014
2013
The conditional-recency dissociation is confounded with nominal recency: Should unitary models of memory still be devaluated?Moran R and Goshen-Gottstein Y
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, Springer Nature vol. 21 (2), 332-343.
13-09-2013
Competitive guided search: Meeting the challenge of benchmark RT distributionsMoran R, Zehetleitner M, Müller HJ and Usher M
Journal of Vision, Association For Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (Arvo) vol. 13 (8), 24-24.
25-07-2013
The Timescale of Perceptual Evidence Integration Can Be Adapted to the EnvironmentOssmy O, Moran R, Pfeffer T, Tsetsos K, Usher M and Donner TH
Current Biology, Elsevier vol. 23 (11), 981-986.
16-05-2013
2012
Exploring metacognitive components of confidence and control in individuals with obsessive-compulsive tendenciesShachar AB, Lazarov A, Goldsmith M, Moran R and Dar R
Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, Elsevier vol. 44 (2), 255-261.
08-12-2012
2011
Efficient, Low Cost Dish Concentrator for a CPV Based Cogeneration SystemChayet H, Kost O, Moran R, Lozovsky I, Dimroth F, Kurtz S, Sala G and Bett AW
AIP Conference Proceedings. vol. 1407 (1), 249-252.
01-12-2011