Department of Psychology at McGill University
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Bogdanov, M., Bustamante, L.A., Devine, S., Sheldon, S., & Otto, A.R. (in preparation). Non-invasive brain stimulation over the Frontopolar Cortex promotes willingness to exert cognitive effort in a foraging-like sequential decision-making task.
Desjardins, S., Tang, R., Yip, S., Roy, M., & Otto, A.R. (submitted). Context Effects in Cognitive Effort Evaluation. [preprint]
Roy, E., Dong, Y. D., Otto, A.R., & Axt, J. (in revision). Disentangling the role of visual attention in discriminatory behavior.
Devine, S., Goulding, J., Harvey, J., Skatova, A.*, & Otto, A. R.* (submitted). Decoy Effects in the Wild: Evidence for (and Constraints on) Attraction Effects in Real-World Consumer Choices. [preprint]
Jos, A., Westbrook, A., LoParco, S., & Otto, A.R. (in preparation). Tonic and phasic pupillary indices of cognitive stability and flexibility.
da Silva Castanheira, K., Spreng, R.N., Vassena, E., & Otto, A.R. (submitted). The neural basis of cost-benefit trade-offs in effort investment: a quantitative activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis. [preprint]
Brown, C.S., Devine, S., Otto, A.R., Bischoff-Grethe, A. & Wierenga, C.E. (submitted). Greater reliance on model-free learning in adolescent anorexia nervosa: An examination of dual systems reinforcement learning. [preprint]
da Silva Castanheira, K., & Otto, A.R. (in preparation). Demand Avoidance in Risky Value-Based Decision-Making
Devine, S., da Silva Castanheira, K., Fleming, S. M., & Otto, A. R. (2024). Distinguishing between intrinsic and instrumental sources of the value of choice. Cognition, 245, 105742. [pdf]
Villano, W. J., Kraus, N. I., Reneau, T. R., Jaso, B. A., Otto, A. R., & Heller, A. S. (in press). The Causes and Consequences of Drifting Expectations. Psychological Science.
Devine, S., Uanhoro, J. O., Otto, A. R., & Flake, J. K. (2024). Approaches for Quantifying the ICC in Multilevel Logistic Models: A Didactic Demonstration. Collabra: Psychology, 10(1), 94263. [pdf]
Devine, S., Roy, M., Beierholm, U., & Otto, A. R. (2024). Proximity to Rewards Modulates Parameters of Effortful Control Exertion. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General [pdf]
Fu, H-N., Li, A., Otto, A.R., & Clark, L. (2024). Socioeconomic correlates of the lottery rollover effect in Toronto, Canada. Addiction Research & Theory. [pdf]
Devine, S., Vassena, E., & Otto, A.R. (2023). More than a Feeling: Physiological Measures of Affect Index the Integration of Effort Costs and Rewards During Effortful Decision-Making. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 23(4), 1129–1140. [pdf]
Villano, W. J., Kraus, N. I., Reneau, T. R., Jaso, B. A., Otto, A. R., & Heller, A. S. (2023). Individual differences in naturalistic learning link negative emotionality to the development of anxiety. Science Advances, 9(1), eadd2976. [pdf]
Vogel, T. A., Falk, C.F., Otto, A. R., & Roy, M. (2022). Distraction from Pain Depends on Motivation and Task Demands. PAIN Reports, 7(6), e1041. [pdf]
Otto, A.R., Devine, S., Schulz, E., Bornstein, A.M., & Louie, K. (2022). Context-dependent choice and evaluation in real-world consumer behavior. Scientific Reports, 12(1). [pdf]
Lin, H., Ristic, J., Inzlicht, M., & Otto, A.R. (2022). The average reward rate modulates behavioral and neural indices of effortful control allocation. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 34(11), 2113–2126.[pdf]
Wyckmans, F., Banerjee, N., Saeremans, M., Otto, A.R., Kornreich, C., Vanderijst, L., Gruson, D., Carbone, V., Bechara, A., Buchanan, T., & Noël, X. (2022). The modulation of acute stress on model-free and model-based reinforcement learning in gambling disorder. Journal of Behavioral Addictions. [pdf]
Otto, A. R., Braem, S., Silvetti, M., & Vassena, E. (2022). Is the juice worth the squeeze? Learning the marginal value of mental effort over time. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 151(10),2324-2341. [pdf ]
Tran, D. M. D., Prieto, I., Otto, A. R., & Livesey, E. J. (2022). TMS reveals distinct patterns of proactive and reactive inhibition in motor system activity. Neuropsychologia, 174,108348. [pdf]
Bogdanov, M., LoParco, S., Otto, A.R.*, & Sharp, M.* (2022). Dopaminergic medication increases motivation to exert cognitive control by reducing subjective effort costs in Parkinson’s patients. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 193, 107652. [pdf]
Bogdanov, M.*, Renault, H.*, Loparco, S., Weinberg, A., & Otto, A.R. (2022). Cognitive effort exertion enhances electrophysiological correlates of reward evaluation during outcome delivery. Cerebral Cortex., 32(19), 4255–4270. [pdf]
Devine, S., & Otto, A. R. (2022). Information about task progress modulates cognitive demand avoidance. Cognition, 225, 105107. [pdf]
da Silva Castanheira, K.*, Lalla, A.*, Ocampo, K., Otto, A. R., & Sheldon, S. (2022). Reward at encoding but not retrieval modulates memory for detailed events. Cognition, 219, 104957. [pdf]
da Silva Castanheira, K., Sharp, M., & Otto, A. R. (2021). The impact of pandemic-related worry on cognitive functioning and risk-taking. PLOS ONE, 16(11), e0260061. [pdf]
Bogdanov, M., Nitschke, J.P., LoParco, S., Bartz, J.A., & Otto, A.R. (2021). Acute psychosocial stress increases cognitive effort avoidance. Psychological Science, 32(9), 1463–1475. [pdf]
Devine, S., Neumann, C., Otto, A. R., Bolenz, F., Reiter, A., & Eppinger, B. (2021). Seizing the opportunity: Lifespan differences in the effects of the opportunity cost of time on cognitive control. Cognition, 216, 104863. [pdf]
da Silva Castanheira, K., Fleming, S. M., & Otto, A. R. (2021). Confidence in risky value-based choice. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 28(3), 1021–1028. [pdf]
da Silva Castanheira, K., LoParco, S., & Otto, A. R. (2021). Task-evoked pupillary responses track effort exertion: Evidence from task-switching. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 21(3), 592–606. [pdf]
Fu, H.N., Monson, E., & Otto, A.R. (2021). The relationship between unexpected outcomes and lottery gambling rates in a large Canadian metropolitan area. Critical Gambling Studies. 2(1), 55–67. [pdf]
Fu, H.-N., Monson, E., & Otto, A. R. (2021). Relationships between socio-economic status and lottery gambling across lottery types: Neighborhood-level evidence from a large city. Addiction, 116(5), 1256–1261. [pdf]
Subramaniapillai, S., Rajagopal, S., Snytte, J., Otto, A. R., Einstein, G., & Rajah, M. N. (2021). Sex differences in brain aging among adults with family history of alzheimer’s disease and APOE4 genetic risk. NeuroImage: Clinical, 30, 102620. [pdf]
Otto, A. R., & Vassena, E. (2021). It’s all relative: Reward-induced cognitive control modulation depends on context. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 150(2), 306–313. [pdf]
Vogel, T.A., Savelson, Z., Otto, A.R.*, & Roy, M.* (2020). Forced Choices Reveal a Trade-Off between Cognitive Effort and Physical Pain. eLife, e59410. [pdf]
Villano, W. J., Otto, A. R., Ezie, C. E. C., Gillis, R., & Heller, A. S. (2020). Temporal dynamics of real-world emotion are more strongly linked to prediction error than outcome. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 149(9), 1755–1766.
[pdf]
Yan, X., & Otto, A. R. (2020). Cognitive effort investment and opportunity costs in strategic decision-making: An individual differences examination. Personality and Individual Differences, 167C, 110283. [pdf]
Iyer, E., Kairiss, M.A., Liu, A., Otto, A.R., & Bagot, R.C. (2020). Probing relationships between reinforcement learning and simple behavioral strategies to understand probabilistic reward learning. Journal of Neuroscience Methods. 341, 108777. [pdf]
Raio, C.M., Konova, A.B., & Otto, A.R. (2020). Trait impulsivity and acute stress interactions in reward sensitivity and response speed during multi-stage decision-making. Scientific Reports. 10(1), 1-12. [pdf]
Sheldon, S., Williams, K., Harrington, S., & Otto, A. R. (2020). Emotional cue effects on accessing and elaborating upon autobiographical memories. Cognition, 198, 104217. [pdf]
Wyckmans, F., Otto, A.R., Sebold, M., Daw, N.D., Bechara, A., Saeremans, M., Kornreich, C., Chatard, A., Jaafari, N., & Noël, X. (2019). Reduced model-based decision-making in gambling disorders. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 1–10. [pdf]
Don, H. J., Otto, A. R., Cornwall, A.C., Davis, T., & Worthy, D.A. (2019). Learning reward frequency over reward probability: A tale of two learning rules. Cognition, 193, 104042. [pdf]
Byrne, K. A., Otto, A. R., Pang, B., Patrick, C. J., & Worthy, D. A. (2019). Substance use is associated with reduced devaluation sensitivity. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 19(1), 40–55. [pdf]
Otto, A. R., & Daw, N.D. (2019). The Opportunity Cost of Time Modulates Cognitive Effort. Neuropsychologia, 123, 92–105. [pdf]
Momennejad, I., Otto, A. R., Daw, N. D., & Norman, K. A. (2018). Offline replay supports planning in human reinforcement learning. eLife, 7, e32548. [pdf]
Otto, A. R., & Eichstaedt, J. C. (2018). Real-world unexpected outcomes predict city-level mood states and risk-taking behavior. PLOS ONE, 13(11), e0206923.[pdf]
Heller, A.S., Chiemeka Ezie, C.E., Otto, A.R., & Timpano, K.R. (2018). Model-based learning and individual differences in depression: The moderating role of stress. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 111, 19-26. [pdf]
St-Amand, D., Sheldon, S,. & Otto, A.R. (2018). Modulating episodic memory alters risk preference during decision-making. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 30(10), 1433-1441.[pdf]
FeldmanHall, O., Otto, A. R., & Phelps, E.A. (2018). Learning moral values: another’s desire to punish enhances one's own punitive behavior. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 147(8),1211-1224.[pdf] [ supplemental ]
Hayward, D. A., Pereira, E. J., Otto, A. R., & Ristic, J. (2018). Smile! Social reward drives attention. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 44(2), 206–214.[pdf]
Sandra, D. A., & Otto, A. R. (2018). Cognitive capacity limitations and Need for Cognition differentially predict reward-induced cognitive effort expenditure. Cognition, 172, 101–106.[ pdf ]
Dunsmoor, J. E., Otto, A.R., & Phelps, E.A. (2017). Stress promotes generalization of remote but not recent threat memories. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114(34), 9218–9223.[ pdf ]
Don, H. J., Goldwater, M.B., Otto, A. R., & Livesey, E.J. (2016). Rule abstraction, model-based choice, and cognitive reflection. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 23(5), 1615–1623.[ pdf ]
Decker, J.H., Otto, A.R., Daw, N.D., & Hartley, C.A. (2016). From creatures of habit to goal-directed learners: Tracking the developmental emergence of model-based reinforcement learning. Psychological Science, 27(6), 848-858. [pdf][ supplemental ]
Blanco, N., Love, B.C., Ramscar. M., Otto, A.R., Smayda, K., & Maddox, W.T. (2016). Exploratory decision-making as a function of lifelong experience, not cognitive decline. Journal of Experimental Psychology:General 145(3), 284-297. [pdf]
Otto, A. R., Fleming, S.M., & Glimcher, P.W. (2016). Unexpected but Incidental Positive Outcomes Predict Real-World Gambling. Psychological Science, 27(3), 299-311. [pdf] [ supplemental ]
Gillan, C.M., Otto, A. R., Phelps, E.A., & Daw, N.D. (2015). Model-based learning protects against forming habits. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 15(3),523-536. [pdf] [ supplemental ]
Otto, A. R., Skatova, A., Madlon-Kay, S., & Daw, N. D. (2015). Cognitive Control Predicts Use of Model-based Reinforcement Learning. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 27(2), 319-333. [pdf]
Pang, B., Otto, A.R., & Worthy, D.A. (2015). Self-Control Moderates Decision-Making Behavior When Minimizing Losses versus Maximizing Gains. Journal of Behavioral Decision-Making, 28(2), 176-187. [pdf]
Worthy, D.A., Otto, A.R., Doll, B.B., Byrne, K.A., & Maddox, W.T. (2015). Older Adults are Highly Responsive to Recent Events During Decision-Making. Decision. 2(1), 27-38. [pdf]
Otto, A.R., Knox, W.B., Markman, A.B., & Love, B.C. (2014). Behavioral and Physiological Signatures of Reflective Exploratory Choice. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 14(4), 1167-1183. [pdf]
Gershman, S.J., Markman, A.B., & Otto, A.R. (2014). Retrospective Revaluation in Sequential Decision Making: A Tale of Two Systems. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. 143(1), 182-194. [pdf]
Otto, A.R., Raio, C.M., Chiang, A., Phelps, E.A., & Daw, N.D. (2013). Working-Memory Capacity Protects Model-Based Decision-Making from Stress. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(52), 20941-20946. [pdf]
Blanco, N.J., Otto, A.R., Maddox, W.T., & Love, B.C. (2013). The Influence of Depression Symptoms on Exploratory Decision-Making. Cognition (129), 563-568. [pdf]
Otto, A.R., Gershman, S.J., Markman, A.B., & Daw, N.D. (2013). The Curse of Planning: Dissecting multiple reinforcement learning systems by taxing the central executive. Psychological Science, 24(5) 751-761. [pdf]
Worthy, D.A., Hawthorne, M.J., & Otto, A.R. (2013). Heterogeneity of Strategy Usage in the Iowa Gambling Task: A Comparison of Win- Stay-Lose-Shift and Reinforcement Learning Models. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 20(2), 364-371. [pdf]
Worthy, D.A., Otto, A.R., & Maddox, W.T. (2012). Working-Memory Load and Temporal Myopia in Dynamic Decision-Making. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition, 38(6), 1640-1658. [pdf]
Knox, W.B., Otto, A.R., Stone, P.H., & Love, B.C. (2012). The Nature of Belief-Directed Exploratory Choice in Human Decision-making. Frontiers in Psychology, 2,398. [pdf]
Otto, A.R., Markman, A.B., & Love, B.C. (2012). Taking More, Now: The Optimality of Impulsive Choice Hinges on Environment Structure. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 3(2), 131-138. [pdf]
Otto, A.R., Taylor, E.G., & Markman, A.B. (2011). There are at Least Two Kinds of Probability Matching: Evidence from a Secondary Task. Cognition, 118, 274-279. [pdf]
Otto, A.R., Markman, A.B., Gureckis, T.M., & Love, B.C. (2010). Regulatory Fit and Systematic Exploration in a Dynamic Decision-Making Environment.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition, 36(3), 797-804. [pdf]
Otto, A.R. (2010). Three Attempts to Replicate the Behavioral Sunk-Cost Effect: A Note on Cunha and Caldieraro (2009). Cognitive Science, 38(8). 1379-1383. [pdf]
Otto, A.R., & Love, B.C. (2010) You Don't Want To Know What You're Missing: When Information about Forgone Rewards Impedes Dynamic Decision Making.Judgment & Decision-Making, 5(1), 1-10. [pdf]
Otto, A.R., Gureckis, T.M., Markman, A.B., & Love, B.C. (2009). Navigating through Abstract Decision Spaces: Evaluating the Role of State Generalization in a Dynamic Decision-Making Task. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 16, 957-963. [pdf]
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Department of Psychology
Sheldon, S., Williams, K., Harrington, S., & Otto, A. R. (2020). Emotional cue effects on accessing and elaborating upon autobiographical memories. Cognition, 198, 104217. [pdf]
Wyckmans, F., Otto, A.R., Sebold, M., Daw, N.D., Bechara, A., Saeremans, M., Kornreich, C., Chatard, A., Jaafari, N., & Noël, X. (2019). Reduced model-based decision-making in gambling disorders. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 1–10. [pdf]
Don, H. J., Otto, A. R., Cornwall, A.C., Davis, T., & Worthy, D.A. (2019). Learning reward frequency over reward probability: A tale of two learning rules. Cognition, 193, 104042. [pdf]
Byrne, K. A., Otto, A. R., Pang, B., Patrick, C. J., & Worthy, D. A. (2019). Substance use is associated with reduced devaluation sensitivity. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 19(1), 40–55. [pdf]
Otto, A. R., & Daw, N.D. (2019). The Opportunity Cost of Time Modulates Cognitive Effort. Neuropsychologia, 123, 92–105. [pdf]
Momennejad, I., Otto, A. R., Daw, N. D., & Norman, K. A. (2018). Offline replay supports planning in human reinforcement learning. eLife, 7, e32548. [pdf]
Otto, A. R., & Eichstaedt, J. C. (2018). Real-world unexpected outcomes predict city-level mood states and risk-taking behavior. PLOS ONE, 13(11), e0206923.[pdf]
Heller, A.S., Chiemeka Ezie, C.E., Otto, A.R., & Timpano, K.R. (2018). Model-based learning and individual differences in depression: The moderating role of stress. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 111, 19-26. [pdf]
St-Amand, D., Sheldon, S,. & Otto, A.R. (2018). Modulating episodic memory alters risk preference during decision-making. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 30(10), 1433-1441.
FeldmanHall, O., Otto, A. R., & Phelps, E.A. (2018). Learning moral values: another’s desire to punish enhances one's own punitive behavior. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 147(8),1211-1224.
Hayward, D. A., Pereira, E. J., Otto, A. R., & Ristic, J. (2018). Smile! Social reward drives attention. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 44(2), 206–214.
Sandra, D. A., & Otto, A. R. (2018). Cognitive capacity limitations and Need for Cognition differentially predict reward-induced cognitive effort expenditure. Cognition, 172, 101–106.
Dunsmoor, J. E., Otto, A.R., & Phelps, E.A. (2017). Stress promotes generalization of remote but not recent threat memories. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114(34), 9218–9223.
Don, H. J., Goldwater, M.B., Otto, A. R., & Livesey, E.J. (2016). Rule abstraction, model-based choice, and cognitive reflection. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 23(5), 1615–1623.
Decker, J.H., Otto, A.R., Daw, N.D., & Hartley, C.A. (2016). From creatures of habit to goal-directed learners: Tracking the developmental emergence of model-based reinforcement learning. Psychological Science, 27(6), 848-858.
Blanco, N., Love, B.C., Ramscar. M., Otto, A.R., Smayda, K., & Maddox, W.T. (2016). Exploratory decision-making as a function of lifelong experience, not cognitive decline. Journal of Experimental Psychology:General 145(3), 284-297.
Otto, A. R., Fleming, S.M., & Glimcher, P.W. (2016). Unexpected but Incidental Positive Outcomes Predict Real-World Gambling. Psychological Science, 27(3), 299-311.
Gillan, C.M., Otto, A. R., Phelps, E.A., & Daw, N.D. (2015). Model-based learning protects against forming habits. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 15(3),523-536.
Otto, A. R., Skatova, A., Madlon-Kay, S., & Daw, N. D. (2015). Cognitive Control Predicts Use of Model-based Reinforcement Learning. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 27(2), 319-333.
Pang, B., Otto, A.R., & Worthy, D.A. (2015). Self-Control Moderates Decision-Making Behavior When Minimizing Losses versus Maximizing Gains. Journal of Behavioral Decision-Making, 28(2), 176-187.
Worthy, D.A., Otto, A.R., Doll, B.B., Byrne, K.A., & Maddox, W.T. (2015). Older Adults are Highly Responsive to Recent Events During Decision-Making. Decision. 2(1), 27-38.
Otto, A.R., Knox, W.B., Markman, A.B., & Love, B.C. (2014). Behavioral and Physiological Signatures of Reflective Exploratory Choice. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 14(4), 1167-1183.
Gershman, S.J., Markman, A.B., & Otto, A.R. (2014). Retrospective Revaluation in Sequential Decision Making: A Tale of Two Systems. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. 143(1), 182-194.
Otto, A.R., Raio, C.M., Chiang, A., Phelps, E.A., & Daw, N.D. (2013). Working-Memory Capacity Protects Model-Based Decision-Making from Stress. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(52), 20941-20946.
Blanco, N.J., Otto, A.R., Maddox, W.T., & Love, B.C. (2013). The Influence of Depression Symptoms on Exploratory Decision-Making. Cognition (129), 563-568.
Otto, A.R., Gershman, S.J., Markman, A.B., & Daw, N.D. (2013). The Curse of Planning: Dissecting multiple reinforcement learning systems by taxing the central executive. Psychological Science, 24(5) 751-761.
Worthy, D.A., Hawthorne, M.J., & Otto, A.R. (2013). Heterogeneity of Strategy Usage in the Iowa Gambling Task: A Comparison of Win- Stay-Lose-Shift and Reinforcement Learning Models. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 20(2), 364-371.
Worthy, D.A., Otto, A.R., & Maddox, W.T. (2012). Working-Memory Load and Temporal Myopia in Dynamic Decision-Making. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition, 38(6), 1640-1658.
Knox, W.B., Otto, A.R., Stone, P.H., & Love, B.C. (2012). The Nature of Belief-Directed Exploratory Choice in Human Decision-making. Frontiers in Psychology, 2,398.
Otto, A.R., Markman, A.B., & Love, B.C. (2012). Taking More, Now: The Optimality of Impulsive Choice Hinges on Environment Structure. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 3(2), 131-138.
Otto, A.R., Taylor, E.G., & Markman, A.B. (2011). There are at Least Two Kinds of Probability Matching: Evidence from a Secondary Task. Cognition, 118, 274-279.
Otto, A.R., Markman, A.B., Gureckis, T.M., & Love, B.C. (2010). Regulatory Fit and Systematic Exploration in a Dynamic Decision-Making Environment.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition, 36(3), 797-804.
Otto, A.R. (2010). Three Attempts to Replicate the Behavioral Sunk-Cost Effect: A Note on Cunha and Caldieraro (2009). Cognitive Science, 38(8). 1379-1383.
Otto, A.R., & Love, B.C. (2010) You Don't Want To Know What You're Missing: When Information about Forgone Rewards Impedes Dynamic Decision Making.Judgment & Decision-Making, 5(1), 1-10.
Otto, A.R., Gureckis, T.M., Markman, A.B., & Love, B.C. (2009). Navigating through Abstract Decision Spaces: Evaluating the Role of State Generalization in a Dynamic Decision-Making Task. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 16, 957-963.
Department of Psychology