Creativity is a complex construct that would benefit from a more comprehensive mechanistic
approach. Two processes have been defined to be central to creative cognition: divergent …

Brains systems undergo unique and specific dynamic changes at the cellular, circuit, and
systems level that underlie the transition to adult-level cognitive control. We integrate …

Stimulants such as methylphenidate are increasingly used for cognitive enhancement but
precise mechanisms are unknown. We found that methylphenidate boosts willingness to …

Successful goal-directed behavior requires not only correct action selection, planning, and
execution but also the ability to flexibly adapt behavior when performance problems occur or …

Our sense of time is far from constant. For instance, time flies when we are having fun, and it
slows to a trickle when we are bored. Midbrain dopamine neurons have been implicated in …

The dual pathway to creativity model argues that creativity—the generation of original and
appropriate ideas—is a function of cognitive flexibility and cognitive persistence, and that …

Humans and animals prefer immediate over delayed rewards (delay discounting). This
preference for smaller-but-sooner over larger-but-later rewards shows substantial …

The panoply of cognitive, affective, motivational, and social functions that underpin everyday
human experience requires precisely choreographed patterns of interaction between …

Foraging theory prescribes when optimal foragers should leave the current option for more
rewarding alternatives. Actual foragers often exploit options longer than prescribed by the …

Goal-directed action in changing environments requires a dynamic balance between
complementary control modes, which serve antagonistic adaptive functions (eg, to shield …