The Intelligent Performance and Adaptation Lab in the Department of Psychology is seeking a full-time postdoctoral researcher to begin around May 1, 2024. The goal of this project is to study the different kinds of strategies people use to quickly restore performance when faced with unexpected sensorimotor perturbations. We propose that strategies may reflect two broadly classed mechanisms: an algorithm-like strategy that seeks to simulate the outcome of an intended action before its execution and a retrieval-like mechanism that caches previously successful strategies in a short-term memory store. We seek to determine if these strategies can be improved over time, if people are sensitive to their relative capacities and costs, and if they have differential impacts on the learning of an implicit system. All studies will be conducted with neurologically-intact participants and individuals with spinocerebellar ataxia, allowing us to assess the extent to which the cerebellum, which is known to play a critical role in sensorimotor learning, supports strategy use. Insight into the neuroanatomical substrates of this representation will also be gained through noninvasive stimulation and functional neuroimaging. The applicant should have a strong background in sensorimotor adaptation, computational modeling, noninvasive brain stimulation and/or fMRI analyses.
This is a one-year term position with the possibility of renewal based on availability of funding and satisfactory performance. Please submit a CV, a transcript, and a cover letter describing academic and research goals, as well as technical and research experience. At the end of your cover letter, please include your earliest possible start date and the contact information for at least two references. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Please apply via https://www.princeton.edu/acad-positions/position/34261
Responsibilities
The successful candidate will work closely with Professor Jordan Taylor to manage all aspects of the project, including:
Essential qualifications
The work location for this position is in-person on campus at Princeton University. This position is subject to Princeton University's background check policy
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