René Marois
Director of Graduate Studies
Professor
Winkelried Family Chair in Neuroscience
Research in the Marois lab centers on two main main topics. First, much of the lab's work focuses on understanding the neural basis of attention in humans using fMRI and psychophysical tools. They are particularly interested in understanding the neural basis of attentional capacity limits (why can we only attend to few objects at a time? Why can't carry out more than one task at a time?). They are also exploring the nature of the relationship between attention, working memory and awareness.
The second research thrust of the lab concerns the nascent field of 'Neurolaw' in collaboration with faculty members of the Law School. Specifically, the lab is is interested in elucidating the brain mechanism underlying legal and punishment decision-making.
Representative Publications
Recent / top cited:
Ginther, M. R., Hartsough, L. E., & Marois, R. (2022). Moral outrage drives the interaction of harm and culpable intent in third-party punishment decisions. Emotion, 22(4), 795.
Han, S. W., Eaton, H. P., & Marois, R. (2019). Functional fractionation of the cingulo-opercular network: alerting insula and updating cingulate. Cerebral Cortex, 29(6), 2624-2638.
Marois, R., & Ivanoff, J. (2005). Capacity limits of information processing in the brain. Trends in cognitive sciences, 9(6), 296-305.
Sy, J. L., Miao, H. Y., Marois, R., & Tong, F. (2021). Conscious perception can be both graded and discrete. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 150(8), 1461.
Todd, J. J., & Marois, R. (2004). Capacity limit of visual short-term memory in human posterior parietal cortex. Nature, 428(6984), 751-754.