Caltech
WELCOME!
The Fear Lab is inspired by insights from the fields of behavioral ecology, social, evolutionary and clinical psychology. Our lab’s main endeavor is to understand the neural and behavioral dynamics of human social and emotional experiences and consequently build new theoretical models that merge multiple fields. We employ brain imaging (e.g. fMRI) and novel behavioral techniques to examine the neurobiological systems that coordinate fear and anxiety in humans. My lab also investigates the proximate and ultimate value of social behavior. We are currently pursuing questions of how social behavior orchestrates and shapes emotion and how such operations are variably disrupted in psychiatric disorders.
Selected Publications
Kim, J., Tashjian, S.M., and Mobbs, D. (In Press).. The human hypothalamus coordinates switching between different survival action. PLoS Biology.
Wise, T., Charpentiar, C. Dayan, P., . (2023). Interactive cognitive maps support flexible behavior under threat. Cell Reports. 42. 8.
Tashjian, S.M., Wise, T., Mobbs, D. (2022). Increased model-based control for acquiring protection. PLoS-Computational Biology. 18 (12), e1010805.
Silston, B., Wise, T., Qi, S., Sui, X., Dayan, P., and Mobbs, D. (2021). Neural encoding of socially adjusted value during competitive and hazardous foraging. Nature Communications. 12 (1) 1-11.
Mobbs, D., Wise, T., Suthana, N., Guzman, N., Kriegeskorte, N., Leibo, J., (2021). The Promises and Challenges of Human Computational Ethology. Neuron. 109; 14; 2224-2238.
Mobbs, D., Headley, D., Ding, W., Dayan, P. (2020). Space, Time, and Fear: Survival Computations Along Defensive Circuits. 24, 228-24; Trends in Cognitive Science. 24; 3; 228-241. Cover Image.
Fung, B., Qi, S., Hassabis, D., Daw, N., Mobbs, D. (2019). Slow escape decisions are swayed by trait anxiety. Nature: Human Behavior. 3, 702-708. Perspective by Neil McNaughton.
Qi, S., Hassabis, D., Sun, J., Guo, F., Daw, N., and Mobbs, D. (2018). How Cognitive and Reactive Fear Circuits Optimize Escape Decisions in Humans. PNAS. 115 (12), 3186-3191.
Mobbs, D., Yu, R., Rowe, J., Eich, H., Feldmanhall, O., Dalgleish, T. (2010). Neural activity associated with monitoring the oscillating threat value of a Tarantula. PNAS. 107: 20582-6. Top 10 PNAS papers of 2010.
Mobbs, D., Petrovic, P., Marchant, J., Hassabis, D., Seymour, B., Weiskopf, N., Dolan, R.J., Frith, C.D (2007). When Fear is Near: Threat Imminence Elicits Prefrontal - Periaqueductal Grey Shifts in Humans. Science. 317; 1079-1083. Perspective by Steve Maren.
LAB NEWS
COVID-19. The Invisible threat - Caltech News.
Anxiety and slow threat - news by Neil McNaughton
Dean discusses horror movies and how they have influenced his approach to the study of human fear.
Summer School in Affective Neuroscience is now taking applications! Click here to apply: http://affect-neuroscience.org
Bad Science. Podcast on the movie IT with Dean and The comedians behind Horney for Horror.
Caltech News: Cognitive vs Reactive fear and escape decisions
Dean discusses the Titanic and survival
We have moved to Caltech!
Chivalry is not dead when it comes to morality
Remembering our friend Charlotte Prevost
Dean has been awarded a NARSAD Young Investigator Award from the Brain and Behavior Foundation.
Competence and pain anticipation paper featured on the CNS front page
Ellen is awarded the NSF graduate fellowship and publishes her first paper in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. Congratulations!
Dean is one of the winners of the 2015 APS Janet Taylor Spence Award for Transformational Early Career Contributions
WUFV news - paying for torture
Welcome to our lab neighbors - The Tottenham Lab
Celebrating Andy Calder's life
Dean interviewed along with Director Scott Derrickson on how to make a movie scary
Dean talks on Brazilian TV about about NDEs
Emotional Brain Training: LA Times
Our New Lab!
LeMonde and NDEs