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Motivation
Decision-Making
Cognitive Control
Affect

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Representative publications

*Grahek, I., *Leng, X., Musslick, S., & Shenhav, A. (2025). Control adjustment costs limit goal flexibility: Empirical evidence and a computational account. Psychological Review. [Article, News]

Ritz, H. & Shenhav, A. (2024). Orthogonal neural encoding of targets and distractors supports multivariate cognitive control. Nature Human Behaviour 8:945–961 [Article; Press Release]

Ritz, H., Leng, X., Shenhav, A. (2022). Cognitive control as a multivariate optimization problem. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 34(4): 569–591. [Article]

Leng, X., Yee, D., Ritz, H., & Shenhav, A. (2021). Dissociable influences of reward and punishment on adaptive cognitive control. PLOS Computational Biology. [Article]

Shenhav, A., Botvinick, M.M., & Cohen, J.D. (2016). Dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and the value of control. Nature Neuroscience 19(10): 1286-1291. [Article; News & Views]

Shenhav, A., Botvinick, M.M., & Cohen, J.D. (2013). The expected value of control: an integrative theory of anterior cingulate cortex function. Neuron 79 (2): 217-240. [Article]

All publications

Frömer, R., Ting, C.C., ^Shenhav, A, ^Gluth, S. Goals shape dynamics of attention and selection for value-based decision-making. [Preprint]

Yee, D.M., Prater Fahey, M., Cheng, Z.M., Leng, X., Kim, J., Tarlow, M., Mundy, K., Nevins, S., Shenhav, A. Neurocomputational mechanisms underlying the distinct motivational influences of reward and punishment on cognitive control. [Preprint]

Grahek, I., Leng, X., Fengler, A., Shenhav, A. Slower transitions between control states lead to reductions in cognitive flexibility over the lifespan. [Preprint]

*Ritz, H., *Frömer, R., & Shenhav, A. (in press). Phantom controllers: Misspecified models create the false appearance of adaptive control during value-based choice. Communications Psychology. [Preprint]

Cheng, Z., Leng, X., Shenhav, A. (2025). Incentive Effects Capture Variability in Task-General Control Allocation. Proceedings of the 47th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society. San Francisco, CA. [Paper].

*Grahek, I., *Leng, X., Musslick, S., & Shenhav, A. (2025). Control adjustment costs limit goal flexibility: Empirical evidence and a computational account. Psychological Review. [Article, News]

Ritz, H. & Shenhav, A. (2024). Orthogonal neural encoding of targets and distractors supports multivariate cognitive control. Nature Human Behaviour 8:945–961 [Article; Press Release]

Ritz, H. & Shenhav, A. (2024). Humans reconfigure target and distractor processing to address distinct task demands. Psychological Review 131(2): 349–372. [Article]

Bustamante, L.A., Oshinowo, T., Lee, J.R., Tong, E., Burton, A.R., Shenhav, A., Cohen, J.D., Daw, N.D. Effort Foraging Task reveals positive correlation between individual differences in the cost of cognitive and physical effort in humans and relationship to self-reported motivation and affect. [Preprint]

Frömer, R., Gluth, S., & Shenhav, A (2022). Hidden knobs: Representations for flexible goal-directed decision-making. In Proceedings of the 5th Multidisciplinary Conference on Reinforcement Learning and Decision Making. Providence, RI. [Paper].

Prater Fahey, M., Yee, D., Leng, X., Tarlow, M., & Shenhav, A. (2022). Disentangling influences of aversive motivation on control allocation across distinct motivational contexts. In Proceedings of the 5th Multidisciplinary Conference on Reinforcement Learning and Decision Making. Providence, RI. [Paper].

Grahek, I., Leng, X., Prater Fahey, M., Yee, D., & Shenhav, A. (2022). Empirical and Computational Evidence for Reconfiguration Costs During Within-Task Adjustments in Cognitive Control. In Proceedings of the 44th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society. Toronto, CA. [Paper].

Shenhav, A., Musslick, S., Botvinick, M. M., & Cohen, J. D. Misdirected vigor: Differentiating the control of value from the value of control. [Preprint; Target Article]

Grahek, I., Frömer, R., Prater Fahey, M., & Shenhav, A. (2023). Learning when effort matters: Neural dynamics underlying updating and adaptation to changes in performance efficacy. Cerebral Cortex 33(5): 2395–2411. [Article]

Ritz, H., Leng, X., Shenhav, A. (2022). Cognitive control as a multivariate optimization problem. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience: 1–23. [Article]

Leng, X., Yee, D., Ritz, H., & Shenhav, A. (2021). Dissociable influences of reward and punishment on adaptive cognitive control. PLOS Computational Biology. [Article]

Frömer, R., & Shenhav, A. (2022). Filling the gaps: Cognitive control as a critical lens for understanding mechanisms of value-based decision-making. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 134, 104483. [Article]

Yee, D. M., Leng, X., Shenhav, A., & Braver, T. S. (2022). Aversive Motivation and Cognitive Control. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 133, 104493. [Article]

Shenhav, A., Prater Fahey, M., & Grahek, I. (2021). Decomposing the motivation to exert mental effort. Current Directions in Psychological Science 30(4): 307-314. [Article]

Wolff, W., Hirsch, A., Bieleke, M., & Shenhav, A. (in press). Neuroscientific approaches to self-regulatory control in sports. In C. Englert & I. Taylor (eds.), Self-regulation and motivation in sport and exercise psychology. London: Routledge. [Preprint]

*Frömer, R, *Lin, H., Dean Wolf, C.K., Inzlicht, M. & Shenhav, A. (2021). Expectations of reward and efficacy guide cognitive control allocation. Nature Communications, 12: 1030. [Article, Press Release, Supplement, Code]

Bustamante, L., Lieder, F., Musslick, S., Shenhav, A., Cohen, J.D. (2021). Learning to Overexert Cognitive Control in a Stroop Task. Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience. [Article]

Ritz, H., DeGutis, J., Frank M.J., Esterman, M., & Shenhav, A. (2020). An evidence accumulation model of motivational and developmental influences over sustained attention. In Proceedings of the 42nd Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society. Toronto, CA. [Paper]

Leng, X., Ritz, H., Yee, D., & Shenhav, A. (2020). Dissociable influences of reward and punishment on adaptive cognitive control. In Proceedings of the 42nd Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society. Toronto, CA. [Paper]

Grahek I., Musslick S., & Shenhav A. (2020). A computational perspective on the roles of affect in cognitive control. International Journal of Psychophysiology 151: 25-34. [Article, Code].

Ritz, H., Frömer, R., & Shenhav, A. (2020). Bridging Motor and Cognitive Control: It’s About Time! Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 24(1): 6-8. [Article; Target Article]

Grahek, I., Shenhav, A., Musslick, S., Krebs, R. M., & Koster, E. H. W. (2019). Motivation and Cognitive Control in Depression. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 102: 371-381. [Article, Code]

Ritz, H., Shenhav, A. (2019) Parametric control of distractor-oriented attention. Proceedings of the 41st Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society. Montreal, CA. [Paper]

Musslick S., Cohen, J.D., Shenhav A. (2019). Decomposing individual differences in cognitive control: A model-based approach. Proceedings of the 41st Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society. Montreal, CA. [Paper]

*Spitzer, M., *Musslick S., Shvartsman, M., Shenhav A., Cohen, J.D. (2019). Asymmetric switch costs as a function of task strength. Proceedings of the 41st Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society. Montreal, CA. [Paper]

Ritz, H., Nassar, M.R., Frank, M.J., & Shenhav, A. (2018). A control theoretic model of adaptive behavior in dynamic environments. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 30(10): 1405-1421. [Article]

Shenhav, A., Straccia, M.A., Musslick, S., Cohen, J.D., & Botvinick, M.M. (2018). Dissociable neural mechanisms track evidence accumulation for selection of attention versus action. Nature Communications 9 (1): 2485. [Article; Supplementary Data]

Lieder, F., Shenhav, A., Musslick, S., & Griffiths, T. (2018). Rational metareasoning and the plasticity of cognitive control. PLOS Computational Biology 14(4): e1006043. [Article]

Inzlicht, M., Shenhav, A., & Olivola, C.Y. (2018). The effort paradox: Effort is both costly and valued. Trends in Cognitive Sciences 22(4): 337-349. [Article]

Musslick, S., Jang, S.J., Shvartsman, M., Shenhav, A., & Cohen, J.D. (2018). Constraints associated with cognitive control and the stability-flexibility dilemma. In Proceedings of the 40th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society. Madison, WI: Cognitive Science Society. [Paper]

Musslick, S., Cohen, J.D., & Shenhav, A. (2018). Estimating the costs of cognitive control from task performance: theoretical validation and potential pitfalls. In Proceedings of the 40th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society. Madison, WI: Cognitive Science Society. [Paper]

Shenhav, A. (2017). The perils of losing control: Why self-control is not just another value-based decision. Psychological Inquiry 28(2-3): 148-152.  [Article] 

Shenhav, A., Musslick, S., Lieder, F., Kool, W., Griffiths, T.L., Cohen, J.D., & Botvinick, M.M. (2017). Toward a rational and mechanistic account of mental effort. Annual Reviews of Neuroscience 40: 99-124. [Article] 

Shenhav, A., Botvinick, M.M., & Cohen, J.D. (2016). Dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and the value of control. Nature Neuroscience 19(10): 1286-1291. [Article; News & Views]

Musslick S., Shenhav A., Botvinick M.M., & Cohen J.D. (2015). A computational model of control allocation based on the Expected Value of Control. In Reinforcement Learning and Decision Making Conference. Edmonton, Alberta, CA. [Paper]

Shenhav, A., Botvinick, M.M., & Cohen, J.D. (2013). The expected value of control: an integrative theory of anterior cingulate cortex function. Neuron 79 (2): 217-240. [Article]