Aaron SchurgerView profile
Assistant Professor
Dr. Aaron Schurger is an Assistant Professor in the Psychology Department at Chapman University’s Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences. He is also a member of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Brain and Behavioral Sciences. Schurger holds a BA from Indiana University, and MA and PhD from Princeton University. His research focuses on the neuroscience of volition, consciousness, and decision-making, particularly exploring the readiness potential (RP) and its implications for free will debates. His work challenges classical interpretations of the RP using computational models, suggesting it reflects stochastic neural processes rather than preconscious decisions. Recent contributions include studies on the origins of the RP in spiking neural networks, critiques of causal structure theories of consciousness, and interdisciplinary analyses of free will. His findings emphasize that the RP may not indicate preconscious decision-making but instead arise from natural neural fluctuations during decision thresholds. Schurger collaborates across neuroscience, philosophy, and cognitive science, contributing to debates on consciousness, action initiation, and neural correlates of subjective experience. His research also addresses methodological rigor in studying unconscious processing and integrates computational models with empirical data, as seen in studies on movement timing and neural stability during perception. While no specific grants or labs are explicitly listed, his affiliations suggest involvement in interdisciplinary projects at Chapman.
