Interdisciplinary collaboration is essential for addressing complex scientific challenges as it brings together diverse perspectives and specialized knowledge, resulting in novel approaches, innovative methodologies and a more holistic understanding of complex phenomena.
Strengthening collaboration to encourage novel research connections between scientific areas is central to the CIMCYC - María de Maeztu Unit of Excellence strategy . To encourage this, the CIMCYC has launched six novel and exciting multidisciplinary collaborative projects in Psychology and Neuroscience, which tackle frontier questions across areas. Each of them will hire a talented postdoctoral researcher, focused on the topics described below, for a duration of 2 years (for details, please see here).
Contextual, Cognitive and Motivational mechanisms of Belief Updating (CoCoMBU)
PIs: Efrain Garcia-Sanchez & Javier Ortiz-Tudela
Nowadays, political information is consumed in a wide variety of ways. We learn about current political news from objective, mainstream news media outlets (e.g., reputed and consolidated newspapers, political parties, etc.) as well as from sources where subjective information and opinions prevail, such as personalized social media feeds (e.g., posts, chat groups, memes, etc.). Psychological research on learning has often focused on individuals in isolation, overlooking social contexts and dynamics. However, each political event involves competing views, key political actors advocating for these views and serving as sources of information and frames that activate specific worldviews and values. In addition, people process political information in combination with their preexisting beliefs (what do I already know about this topic/person?), motivations (what is my goal when interacting with this info?) and identities (what does this piece of information do to my self-perception?).
The goal of this collaborative project is to address this real-world complexity by integrating cognitive learning mechanisms with social-psychological factors that influence the formation of political attitudes. Specifically, the researchers will conduct a series of behavioral and survey experiments using large and diverse samples that will evaluate the accuracy of political news related to specific policy issues with significant social implications, namely economic inequality and immigration. Through repeated exposure to news combined with fact-checking feedback, participants will be able to update their beliefs about the issue and learn which sources are trustworthy. Using computational modeling, we will quantify these learning dynamics and examine how contextual and individual factors shape them, providing novel insights into how misperceptions form and persist in ecologically valid information environments.
The CoCoMBU project brings together expertise from theoretical and methodological approaches in social, cognitive and computational psychology to explore the Contextual, Cognitive and Motivational mechanisms of Belief Updating in political contexts. Moreover, CoCoMBU will not only focus on short-term belief updating but also on long-term memory and on whether updates on higher-order beliefs are sustained over time. The findings will support the development of evidence-based strategies to counter resistant beliefs that perpetuate social inequality, and inform applications in education, media and public policy.
Emotional dependency, Guilt and Disturbances in Self-Organization in Complex PTSD among women survivors of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)
PIs: Inmaculada Valor-Segura & Natalia Hidalgo-Ruzzante
This project addresses the complex issue of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women (IPVAW), a global public health crisis recognized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization. IPVAW includes physical, psychological and sexual abuse, as well as controlling behaviors, with severe consequences on women's physical and mental health.One of the most prevalent psychological outcomes among survivors is Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD), a condition characterized not only by traditional PTSD symptoms but also by disturbances in emotion regulation, negative self-concept and difficulties in interpersonal relationships.
The main objective of the IPV project is to investigate the link between emotional factors—specifically emotional dependency, guilt and emotion regulation—and Disturbances in Self-Organization symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in women who have experienced partner violence. Although these emotional variables have been widely studied in non-abusive relationships and are known to influence the persistence of unhealthy relationship dynamics, their connection to the development or exacerbation of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms in survivors of partner violence remains unexplored.
The scientific relevance of this project lies in bridging a current research gap by integrating psychological constructs traditionally associated with relationship functioning into the study of trauma-related disorders. Understanding these relationships could significantly enhance early identification of at-risk individuals and inform targeted therapeutic interventions.
The expected impact of the study includes advancing knowledge on the emotional mechanisms underlying Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in survivors of partner violence and improving mental health outcomes through more tailored, trauma-informed psychological support. The applicability of results extends to clinical psychology, social work and public health services, offering evidence-based insights for designing prevention strategies and treatment programs that address both trauma and the emotional dynamics that perpetuate victimization.
Reconstructive Dynamics of Visual Working Memory under Attention Shifts. (ReDAS)
PIs: Juan Linde-Domingo & Fabiano Botta
The main aim of this collaborative project is to investigate how shifting attentional priority affects the representational format of information stored in visual working memory (VWM). In a recent study, the researchers showed that when multiple items are held in VWM, semantic information (conceptual meaning) is accessed faster and more accurately than perceptual details, suggesting dynamics similar to those observed in episodic long-term memory (LTM) retrieval. In contrast, when only a single item is under full attention, no such semantic prioritisation is observed (Kerrén et al., 2022). Building on these findings, this project will examine whether semantic-over-perceptual prioritisation can be dynamically modulated by attentional cues and encoding format. Specifically, the project will test if retrocues (used to direct internal attention to memory items) can preserve high-fidelity perceptual representations and whether presenting items simultaneously vs. sequentially at encoding influences the retrieved memory format.
The novelty of the project lies both in the research question and in the methodological approach, which integrates behavioral measures (accuracy and reaction times for semantic vs. perceptual memory judgments), electroencephalography (EEG) decoding of neural representations and drift diffusion modeling (DDM). This multi-method approach will trace the temporal dynamics of how VWM content is reconstructed under different attention conditions. Scientifically, the work addresses a fundamental question about the states of working memory, bridging gaps between working memory and long-term memory (LTM) theories. The expected outcomes include a deeper understanding of how attention can transform memory content, with implications for cognitive theory and potential translational benefits such as strategies to improve memory retention under high load.
Temporal Predictive brain under exercise-induced arousal (TEMPO)
PIs: Mariagrazia Capizzi & Chiara Avancini
TEMPO addresses a fundamental question in cognitive neuroscience: how the human brain perceives and processes time in the millisecond-to-seconds range, a critical ability for sensorimotor control, learning and higher cognition. Despite extensive research, the neural and computational mechanisms of time perception remain elusive. A major difficulty arises from the fact that time perception lacks a dedicated sensory organ and is strongly influenced by internal physiological states, such as arousal, which has been inconsistently operationalized in previous studies. TEMPO overcomes this challenge by conceptualizing arousal as a dynamic physiological state that continuously shapes cognitive processing, rather than as a static or an all-or-none phenomenon. The project’s originality also lies in framing time perception within the "predictive brain" framework, casting the brain as a Bayesian inference system that continuously generates and updates temporal predictions.
By combining arousal manipulation with advanced behavioral modeling and EEG, TEMPO seeks to uncover how physiological states modulate temporal prediction and its neural correlates. The project unites two complementary research groups, integrating expertise in computational modeling, temporal processing and the physiology of arousal. TEMPO will make significant scientific contributions by advancing current models of time perception and, more broadly, of brain function. Its findings could also inform applications in learning, decision making and performance under stress, providing a foundation for future research in both basic, and applied settings such as healthcare, sports and virtual reality. By pioneering a predictive, arousal-based account of time perception, TEMPO establishes an innovative framework with high impact on the study of time and cognition.
Translational Integration of Psychophysiology, Behavioral Pharmacology and Psychobiology in the Modulation of Neural Circuits for Dysfunctional Eating (TIP3DE)
PIs: Jose L. Mata & M. Angeles Zafra
This project pioneers the therapeutic application of dopaminergic allosteric modulators to restore reward circuit function in individuals with dysfunctional eating behaviors. Focused on dysfunctional eating behavior, diet-induced obesity and eating disorders (EDs) represent an escalating global health crisis,. Current pharmacological treatments offer limited long-term efficacy and carry substantial psychiatric and cardiovascular risks. There is an urgent need for novel, safe and circuit-specific interventions that go beyond traditional appetite-suppressant drugs. Unlike conventional full agonists/antagonists, allosteric modulators act in synergy with natural dopamine signaling, preserving physiological reward sensitivity, reducing risks of tolerance and spillover into other reward domains and minimizing psychiatric side effects. By targeting the underlying dopaminergic dysregulation, hypofunction in binge/obesity phenotypes and hyperfunction in restrictive disorders, this approach has the potential to redefine treatment strategies in obesity and EDs from a new behavioral pharmacology paradigm.
The project integrates three translational phases: (I) Preclinical mapping in animal models to characterize the effects of positive and negative modulators on neural and behavioral signatures of maladaptive eating (II) Human profiling using psychophysiological and behavioral markers assessments to identify reward-related endophenotypes across obesity, anorexia and bulimia and (III) Clinical trial design, culminating in a double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot protocol for testing safety, feasibility and preliminary efficacy.
Expected outcomes include the identification of distinct dopaminergic signatures in disordered eating, validation of a translational pipeline bridging preclinical and clinical domains and the development of a novel class of interventions with strong potential for clinical and industrial application. Beyond advancing scientific understanding of reward dysregulation in eating behavior, TIP3DE carries significant societal and economic impact, positioning dopaminergic allosteric modulators as a cost-effective alternative to current anti-obesity drugs.
Unfolding human experience through Temporal Experience Tracing
PIs: Isabel Benitez & Luis F. Ciria
The first-person dimension of experience represents a key element in understanding human behavior. Beyond psychological correlates, subjective aspects offer a broader perspective for improving clinical and research practices. However, most existing evaluations rely primarily on self-report measures, which overlook the temporal dimension and, consequently, the dynamic nature of experiences. Recent studies indicate that the use of Temporal Experience Tracing (TET) captures subjective experiences across continuous temporal dimensions. Although TET has shown promising results, no comprehensive validation has yet analyzed its contributions and limitations.
The present project aims to provide the first systematic validation of TET, establishing it as a reliable tool for capturing the temporal dynamics of subjective experience in research contexts. First, we will conduct a comprehensive validation study of subjective perceptions of exertion during physical exercise, an experimental model that allows validation under controlled and ecologically meaningful conditions. Subsequently, we will extend the validation to two additional domains (sleep and pain) where subjective reports are indispensable and may reveal aspects of human experience that physiological measures alone cannot fully capture.
This project addresses a central challenge in psychology and neuroscience, that is how to rigorously characterize phenomenological experience as it unfolds over time. The results will transform TET from a promising methodology into a robust scientific tool, providing novel insights into how subjective experiences emerge and fluctuate. Moreover, the project will deliver a tangible outcome for CIMCYC: a validated, openly accessible tool for temporal experience tracing.
This activity is part of grant CEX2023-001312-M, funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033.