Joe Kable – “Fractioning the Prospective Brain” [Joint with SCCN Seminar]

Though neuroscientists have developed an exquisitely detailed understanding of the role of different brain regions in perceiving the external world, our understanding of the relevant functional modules that enable brains to plan based on internal models of the world is much more impoverished. Here Dr. Kable will argue for a broad division within the brain’s “default mode” between networks critical for the generation of internal simulations and mental models and networks involved in evaluating the outputs and results of such simulations. He will then discuss the specific roles that these two networks play in decision-making about the future, particularly under conditions where actors must consider tradeoffs between the quality and timing of outcomes.