معرفی
Professor Mike Le Pelley is a cognitive psychologist working in the School of Psychology at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). His research program spans multiple domains of cognitive science, focusing on the intersection of mind, brain and behavior. Professor Le Pelley's work aims to characterize the mental processes underlying human cognition and how these processes influence ongoing behavior in both healthy individuals and those with psychiatric conditions.
His primary research focus is the relationship between attention and learning. Specifically, he investigates how attention changes as a result of learning about relationships between events. For example, as described in his profile, when driving, individuals prioritize the road ahead while trying to ignore distractions like squabbling children in the back seat. Professor Le Pelley's research examines the mechanisms that govern such attentional prioritization.
While the core of his research focuses on fundamental processes in healthy cognition, he also studies how dysfunction in these processes contributes to conditions such as addiction and schizophrenia. His work has significant implications for understanding cognitive processes in both healthy individuals and those with psychiatric conditions. Professor Le Pelley has published extensively on topics including attentional capture by reward-related stimuli, associative learning, and the neural mechanisms underlying cognitive processes. His research frequently employs eye-tracking and neurophysiological methods to examine cognitive processes.
His recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate a clear research trajectory examining how reward systems influence attentional mechanisms. A significant portion of his work investigates how outcome variance, rather than just reward value, modulates attentional priority. His research on inner speech has provided important neurophysiological evidence regarding motor preparation and how this process is disrupted in schizophrenia. Professor Le Pelley's work consistently bridges basic cognitive mechanisms with clinical applications, particularly in understanding addiction and schizophrenia.
Professor Le Pelley has made substantial contributions to theoretical frameworks in cognitive psychology, particularly in the areas of associative learning and attention. His 2010 book 'Attention and Associative Learning: From Brain to Behaviour' (co-edited with Chris Mitchell) is a significant contribution to the field. His collaborative work extends across multiple institutions and disciplines, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of his research.
