Rohin Palsule

Hello!

I am a junior research specialist at the UCI Computational Cognitive Neuroscience Lab. I graduated from UCI in June 2025 with a bachelors in Cognitive Science and am currently applying to Ph.D. positions in Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience.

My research interests include evaluating how humans remember complex, naturalistic stimuli, and how they are able to use learned associations to make multi-step inferences and goal-directed behavior. I am especially interested in studying the neural mechanisms behind predictive and counterfactual inferences in narratives or other structured stimuli.

In my free time, I enjoy going on morning runs, exploring local cafes, and watching sports!

Current Projects

The neural mechanisms behind memory-guided decision making across the later lifespan

Developed two fMRI experiments from the ground-up using PsychoPy
Created an fMRI analysis pipeline including a pre/post RSA searchlight (PyMVPA), a neural classifier for decoding (PyMVPA), univariate GLMs (SPM, Nilearn), and seed-voxel functional connectivity (Nilearn)
Currently collecting data...

Evaluating the effect of contextual information gain on learning narratives

Reformulated a metric of narrative flow to reflect contextual information gain using large-language models [CCN 2026]
Found that this metric maps on to causal centrality and importance, but notably not semantic centrality [CNLM 2026]
Currently testing this metric with fMRI-based narrative studies to see if there is a neural basis behind our ground-truth metric of information gain

Uncertainty in sequential patch-foraging across the lifespan

Secured $15,000 in fMRI pilot funding to measure neural differences in sequential decision making
Planning to run an RSA on inferred measures of patch uncertainty (calculated through a Kalman Filter)
Currently collecting data...

Publications

Goeschel A*, Palsule RA*, Yoo J, Chen J, Bornstein AM, Khoudary A (2026). Quantifying information gain in narrative stimuli using open-source large language models. Cognitive Computational Neuroscience. [pdf]

Chen XR*, Johnson MJ*, Palsule RA, Maxwell M, Harhen NC, Noh SM, Bennett IJ, Bornstein AM (2026). Age-related differences in structure learning drive foraging behavior in a multimodal patch-leaving task. Cognitive Computational Neuroscience. [pdf]

Honors and Awards

UCI FIBRE BRAG Grant Acceptance, $15k in fMRI Scanning Funding (2026) [pdf]
UCI Summa Cum Laude (2025)
Phi Beta Kappa Society (2025)
UROP Chancellor's Award of Distinction: Human Experience and Expression (2024)

Talks

Palsule RA*, Goeschel A* (2026, April 21) Presentation at Johns Hopkins University on evaluating a metric of contextual information gain with human judgements on narratives, Chen Lab Meeting.

Posters

Goeschel A*, Palsule RA*, Khoudary A, Chen J, Bornstein AM (2026, August 3-9) Quantifying information gain in narrative stimuli using open-source large language models, Computational Cognitive Neuroscience 2026, New York. [pdf]

Chen XR*, Johnson MP*, Palsule RA, Maxwell M, Harhen NC, Noh SM, Bennett I, Bornstein AM (2026) Older Adult Differences in Exploration Measured Using a Structured Foraging Task, Computational Cognitive Neuroscience 2026, New York. [pdf]

Johnson MP*, Chen XR*, Palsule RA, Maxwell M, Harhen NC, Noh SM, Bennett I, Bornstein AM (2026) Older Adult Differences in Exploration Measured Using a Structured Foraging Task, Gerontological Society of America 2026, under review [pdf]

Palsule RA, Goeschel A, Khoudary A, Yoo J, Chen J, Bornstein AM (2026, April 9) Comparing a large language model-derived metric of contextual information gain with human judgements in narratives, 2026 Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory Spring Conference, Irvine. [pdf]

Palsule RA, Guo J, Noh S, Bornstein A (2025, November 19). Naturalistic task framing improves older adults' ability to infer and navigate complex associative networks, Society for Neuroscience 2025, San Diego. [pdf]

Guo S, Palsule RA, Noh S, Bornstein, A (2025, November 19). The impact of learning sequences in encouraging distinct memory representations to support associative inference in older adults, Society for Neuroscience 2025, San Diego. [Poster] [pdf]

Palsule RA, Guo J, Noh S, Bornstein A (2025, June 2). Framing effects on the navigation of complex associative networks across the lifespan, 2025 UCI Cognitive Science Honors Symposium, University of California, Irvine. [pdf]

Palsule RA*, Guo J*, Noh S, Bornstein A (2025, May 16). The Contribution of Naturalistic Structure when Learning Complex Associations, 2025 UCI UROP Symposium, Mind, Memory, and Learning category, University of California, Irvine. [pdf]

Guo J, Palsule RA, Noh S, Bornstein A (2025, May 16). The Relation of Task Schedule and Age-Related Differences in Learning Memory Associations, 2025 UCI UROP Symposium, Mind, Memory, and Learning category, University of California, Irvine. [pdf]

Palsule RA, Dowell N (2024, May 17). The Impact of Socioemotional Communication on Text-Based Group Decision-Making, 2024 UCI UROP Symposium, Human Experience and Expression category, University of California, Irvine. [pdf]