Name: Simin Nasiri

Dissertation Proposal Meeting

Time: Monday - January 26th, 2026 – 11 AM Eastern Time

Location: Teams (Link will be provided per request- email snasiri6@gatech.edu)

Advisor: Dr. Thackery Brown (Georgia Tech, School of Psychology)

Dissertation Committee Members:

Dr. Hugo Spiers – (University College London, School of Psychology)

Dr. Sonit Bafna – (Georgia Tech, School of Architecture)

Dr. Randall Engle – (Georgia Tech, School of Psychology)

Dr. Tansu Celikel – (Georgia Tech, School of Psychology)

Title: From Information Gaps to Cognitive Maps: How Information-Rich Spots Turn into Exploration Goals

Abstract: When we encounter prediction errors or information gaps in a novel environment, we do not navigate randomly; rather, the brain appears to follow systematic patterns of exploration. I hypothesize that when novelty in an environment triggers curiosity, it leads the brain to explore novel features. However, I propose that this exploration follows a pattern: “high-access” or “high-connectivity” spots—previously referred to as architectural “threshold zones”—provide a greater amount of information. Given that information itself serves as the reward of curiosity, these information-rich spots (IRS) emerge as goals via providing more reward, which motivate exploration toward locations with higher informational value, making exploration more efficient. The elevated reward at the spots supports learning the environment and constructing an efficient cognitive map centered on these information-rich locations. This process requires evaluating environmental features (valence attribution), comparing the informativeness of alternative options, and selecting goal locations based on expected information gain. Consequently, exploration likely engages a coordinated neural network involved in evaluation, reward, goal setting, decision-making, and motivation, including the hippocampus, striatum, orbitofrontal cortex, and ventral prefrontal cortex. This study will test predictions about the contributions of these regions to this understudied precursor of cognitive map formation. Additionally, this study will investigate how different spatial configurations impact navigation efficiency, curiosity-driven motivation to explore, and learning.