Paul M
- Research Program Mentor
PhD candidate at Duke University
Expertise
Cognitive neuroscience, moral judgments and decision making, social judgments and decision making, implicit bias, fear of missing out
Bio
I am a Ph.D. student in the Cognitive Neuroscience Admitting Program (CNAP) and a Master's student in Interdisciplinary Data Science (MIDS) at Duke University. My research explores the neural mechanisms underlying moral judgments and decision making, social decision making, implicit bias, motivation, and other higher cognitive functions. I use behavioral tasks, neuroimaging, and causal and computational modeling to investigate these areas. My work is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF GRFP). Prior to coming to Duke, I served from 2013 – 2018 as a Marine Corps Machine Gunner before receiving a B.S. in Psychology from Southern Connecticut State University in 2021. Outside of work I enjoy spending time with Athena (my 5 year old Boxer-mix), hiking, swimming, and traveling as much as I can! My favorite place that I have been to outside of the United States would definitely be New Zealand. Inside the United States I would have to say it is hard to beat anywhere in New England during the Fall!Project ideas
Fear of missing out (FoMO) and its possible implications for our moral interactions
The fear of missing out (FoMO), an anxiety that others may be having rewarding experiences that you aren't taking part in, is likely something most of can relate to. Higher levels of FoMO have been found to be associated with increased social media use, texting while driving, and decreased life satisfaction. More recently, I have found that college students with higher levels of FoMO engage in more inappropriate activities (selling drugs, cheating in school, stealing) than their lower FoMO peers. This suggests there may be an effect of FoMO on moral cognition, for surely they know these things are wrong but choose to do them anyways. There is little to no current research done regarding this area of psychology so a paper discussing how FoMO may influence our moral cognition and resulting behaviors would be an incredibly interesting and meaningful contribution to the field!
Do we have an implicit moral bias, and if so, what purpose may it serve?
A growing body of research suggests that it is adaptive to quickly approach pleasant or positive things and avoid things perceived as aversive or negative. These approach-avoidance biases, however, have primarily been studied using pleasant and unpleasant words, spiders, and other phobias. In modern society, social interactions are also essential for our everyday and long-term survival as we navigate professional relationships, court our significant others, and maintain friendships. But such interactions are often colored with moral content, requiring us to evaluate the rightness/wrongness of others’ actions, and to decide if we will adhere to norms or deviate for self-gain. No study has examined how moral cognition may influence approach-avoidance biases. A paper examining the possible reasons for, likelihood of, and consequences of an implicit moral bias for people would be a wonderful and important project to work on!