10 November 2021: The Role of Anterior Cingulate Cortex in Hierarchical Model-based Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning: A Retrospective

Clay Holroyd
Department of Experimental Psychology
Ghent University

Despite decades of intense study a good understanding of the function of anterior cingulate cortex remains elusive. In this talk I will present an overview of computational modeling and empirical work that positions ACC at the nexus of hierarchical reinforcement learning, effortful control, and model-based behavior. This work suggests that ACC motivates the execution of high-level plans via principles of hierarchical model-based hierarchical reinforcement learning. In particular, ACC control signals may enforce compliance of low-level action policies with hierarchically high-level goals.

View this recorded session here.