Scaling cognitive modeling to big data: A deep learning approach to studying individual differences in evidence...

Recent advances in Bayesian modeling and deep learning have enabled scalable estimation of cognitive process models. In this article, we present a fully Bayesian workflow that leverages amortized inference with neural networks to rapidly estimate individual parameters and compare models from big behavioral data. Using data from a large online implicit association test sample (N > 5,000,000), we investigate how latent parameters, such as drift rate, boundary separation, nondecision times, and their variabilities, relate to key socioeconomic variables. Our exploratory findings reveal small but consistent associations of cognitive model parameters with socioeconomic covariates. Notably, trial-by-trial variability in drift rate, often ignored in prior work, emerged as the strongest predictor across all socioeconomic covariates. Our primary contribution lies in illustrating how deep learning-based Bayesian estimation and model comparison can be applied to mine robust insights from large and noisy behavioral data sets. We discuss limitations and implications for modeling individual differences in large-scale data sets and provide an open pipeline for future use. This work exemplifies how the emerging field of behavioral data science can extend cognitive modeling to new domains and support data-driven hypothesis generation targeting the cognitive underpinnings of individual differences. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).