Self-beliefs: Mathematical models of self believe and link with mental health

Dr Rouault aims at bridging the knowledge gap through a research project based on : innovative transdiagnostic methods to examine whether people with anxious and depressive symptoms tend to transfer a low confidence level across multiple domains, and whether or not they gain renewed in the face of new positive experiences.

Furthermore, she aims at modelling the mechanisms by which self-evaluation influences performance. To establish a complete understanding of the role of confidence in behavior, it is necessary to first develop formal theoretical models, which will then generate new predictions on the alterations of the neural circuits responsible for the updating of self-beliefs in mental health disorders.

This research project is at the intersection of neuroscience, mathematical modelling and mental health and will allow a better understanding of a critical aspect of human cognition: self-evaluation and self-confidence, which is altered in many mental health disorders. Her research findings will be useful both in clinical and educational settings.