Dimitris N. Chorafas Foundation Award - 2024 - Alireza Modirshanechi
© Alireza Modirshanechi
Seeking the new, learning from the unexpected: Computational models of surprise and novelty in the brain
EPFL thesis n°9716
Thesis director: Prof. W. Gerstner
For creating a systematic mathematical framework for the scientific notion of 'surprise and novelty’ in the brain
What happens in our brains when we are caught off guard by a movie plot twist or an unexpected election result? Neuroscience has shown that these moments of surprise substantially impact our brains, influencing our memories and beliefs in the short and long term. During my Ph.D., I developed methods of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to precisely capture how surprising and novel events affect the brain. I developed a framework to compare different ways to measure surprise and novelty systematically. I then used this framework to build models that predict behavioral and electroencephalogram (EEG) data of humans in cognitive experiments. My findings show that surprise and novelty have distinct computational roles in the brain and behavior: Surprising events speed up learning, while novel events spark curiosity and exploration. These insights deepen our understanding of brain function and set the stage for future theoretical and experimental studies - potentially leading to clinical applications and safer, more reliable AI systems.
