Todd Maddox

 

Darrell A. Worthy 5th Year Graduate Student  Department of Psychology

Research Interests My research program has two broad objectives: 1. To examine the influence of social and motivational factors on cognition, and 2. To examine how learning takes place in two separate neural systems: an explicit, hypothesis-testing system and an implicit, procedural learning system.  I use primarily category-learning and decision-making tasks to accomplish these objectives.  These types of tasks are very useful because they allow me to incorporate sophisticated model-based analysis techniques, and the neurobiological processes involved during learning are well understood.  This allows me to develop and test research questions that are neurobiologically plausible using sound research methodology.  The social and motivational factors present in our environment greatly influence how we behave.  Currently, I am expanding my research to study special populations and utilize neuroimaging designs, while moving forward with my behavioral research using young adults as participants.  My research incorporates a wide range of techniques, and I study several different populations to examine how motivation affects learning and behavior.     Email:  worthyda@mail.utexas.edu Publications Worthy, D.A., Markman, A.B., & Maddox, W.T. (2009).Choking and Excelling Under Pressure in Experienced Classifiers. Attention, Perception and Psychophysics, 71, 924-935.  [  .pdf  ]   Worthy, D.A., Markman, A.B., & Maddox, W.T. (2009). What is Pressure? Evidence for Social Pressure as a Type of Regulatory Focus. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 16, 344-349.  [.pdf  ] Worthy, D.A., Markman, A.B., & Maddox, W.T. (2009). Choking and Excelling at the Free Throw Line. International Journal of Thinking and Problem Solving, 19, 53-58. [  .pdf  ]   Worthy, D.A., Maddox, W.T., & Markman, A.B. (2008). Ratio and Difference Comparisons of Expected Reward in Decision Making Tasks. Memory and Cognition, 36, 1460-1469.  [.pdf ]   Worthy, D.A., Maddox, W.T., & Markman, A.B. (2007). Regulatory Fit Effects in a Choice Task.  Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 14, 1125-1132. [ .pdf ]   Markman, A.B., Maddox, W.T., Worthy, D.A., & Baldwin, G.C. (2007). Using Regulatory Focus to Explore Implicit and Explicit Processing.  Journal of Consciousness Studies, 14, 132-155.  [.pdf ]   Markman, A.B., Maddox, W.T., & Worthy, D.A. (2006). Choking and Excelling Under Pressure. Psychological Science 17(11), 944-948. [ .pdf ]   Ad-Hoc Reviews Journal of Experimental Psychology: General Psychonomic Bulletin & Review Journal of Applied Sport Psychology Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology   Peer-Reviewed Conference Proceedings Worthy, D.A., Maddox, W.T., & Markman, A.B. (2009). Less is More: Stimulus-Feedback Co-Occurrence in Perceptual Category Learning, Annual Proceedings of the Cognitive Science Society. [  .pdf  ] Manuscripts Under Review & in Preparation Worthy, D.A., Grimm, L.R., Markman, A.B., & Maddox, W.T. (under review).  Engaging the Approach and Avoidance Motivational Systems: Regulatory Focus, Social Pressure and Stereotype Threat in a Broader Context Worthy, D.A., Maddox, W.T., & Markman, A.B. (in preparation). Feedback Matters:  Effects of Subtle Feedback Manipulations on Dissociable Learning Systems. Worthy, D.A., Pacheco, J., Maddox, W.T., & Schnyer, D.M., (in preparation).  Effects of Aging on Exploration and Exploitation in Choice Tasks Maddox, W.T., Worthy, D.A., & Filoteo, J.V. (under review).  "Desirable Difficulties": Retention and Generalization in Information-Integration Classification.   Brez, C.C., Worthy, D.A., Markman, A.B., & Maddox, W.T. (in preparation).  Motivational Influences on Cognitive Performance in Children.  Worthy, D.A., Maddox, W.T., & Markman, A.B. (in preparation). The Exploration/Exploitation Dilemma: A Comparison of Simple Learning Models.    Worthy, D.A., Maddox, W.T., & Markman, A.B. (in preparation).  Contrasting Effects of Internally and Externally Derived Goals:  Implications for Educational Practices. Worthy, D.A., Markman, A.B., & Maddox, W.T. (in preparation).  Effects of Positive and Negative Affect on Decision-Making: Implications for Regulatory Focus Theory.        Worthy, D.A., Maddox, W.T., & Markman, A.B. (in preparation).  The Length of Feedback Interval and Inter-Trial Interval Effects Decision-Making in Choice Tasks.         Talks Worthy, D.A., Maddox, W.T., & Markman, A.B.  (2009) Feedback Matters.  Effects of Feedback Properties on Category Learning.  Talk Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, Amsterdam, NL.   [.pdf ] Worthy, D.A., Maddox, W.T., & Markman, A.B.  (2009) Feedback Matters.  Effects of Feedback Properties on Category Learning.  Talk Presented at Cognitive Area Seminar, University of Texas at Austin, Department of Psychology, February 20, 2009.   [.pdf ] Worthy, D.A., (2008) Processing Expected Reward in Decision-Making Tasks. Talk presented at University of Texas Cognition and Perception Area Seminar.  March 21, 2008. Austin, TX.  [.pdf ] Worthy, D.A., Choking and Excelling Under Pressure in Novices and Experts.  Talk presented at University of Texas Cognition and Perception Area Seminar.  November 10, 2006. Austin, TX. [ .pdf] Poster Presentations Worthy, D.A., Pacheco, J., Schnyer, D.M., & Maddox, W.T. (2009) Effects of Aging on Maximizing Rewards and Minimizing Losses in a Choice Task.  Poster presented at the Annual Convention of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, San Francisco, CA, March, 2009. [.pdf ] Worthy, D.A., Maddox, W.T., & Markman (2008) What is Pressure? Evidence for Social Pressure as a Type of Regulatory Focus.  Poster presented at 48th Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society, Chicago, IL, November, 2008. [.pdf ]   Worthy, D.A.,  Markman, A.B., & Maddox, W.T. (2008) Lengthening Feedback Intervals Increases Exploitation in Choice Tasks. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroeconomics, Park City, UT, September, 2008. [.pdf ]    Worthy, D.A., Maddox, W.T., & Markman, A.B. (2008). Are Reward Expectancies in Choice Tasks Processed as Ratios or Differences?: Implications for Theories of Reward Processing in the Orbitofrontal Cortex (OFC). Poster presented at the 15th Annual Cognitive Neuroscience Society Convention, San Francisco, CA, April, 2008.  [.pdf ]     Worthy, D.A., Maddox, W.T., & Markman, A.B. (2007). Regulatory Fit Effects in a Gambling Task.  Poster presented at the 48th Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society, Long Beach, CA, November, 2007. [.pdf ] Worthy, D.A., Maddox, W.T., & Markman, A.B. (2007). Regulatory Fit Effects in a Gambling Task.  Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroeconomics, Hull, MA, September, 2007. [.pdf ] Worthy, D.A., Filoteo, J.V., & Maddox, W.T.  (2007).  Consolidation and Retention in Procedural-Based Categorization. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, New York City, NY, May, 2007.  [.pdf ] Worthy, D.A., Maddox, W.T., & Markman, A.B.  (2007).  Dissociable Effects of Social Pressure on Frontal- and Striatal-Mediated Classification Learning: Choking and Excelling Under Pressure. Poster Presentation. Neural Systems of Social Behavior Conference.  May 12, 2007.  Austin, TX. [.pdf ] Worthy, D.A., Maddox, W.T., & Markman, A.B. (2006). Choking and Excelling Under Pressure in Novices and Experts.  Poster Presentation.  45th Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society. November 17, 2006.  Houston, TX.  [ .pdf ] Worthy, D.A., (2006) Choking and Excelling Under Pressure in Novices and Experts.  Talk presented at University of Texas Cognition and Perception Area Seminar.  November 10, 2006. Austin, TX. [ .pdf ]   Bink, M. L., Clark, M., Dailey, S. B., & Worthy, D.A. (2004)  Prospective Memory Depends on Cue-Action Contingencies.  Talk presented at 45th Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society. November 18, 2004. Minneapolis, MN.