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Culture and Cognition Lab – I am broadly interested in how language and other cultural representations shape cognition. In my current work, I use qualitative and experimental methods to examine how cultural and structural factors at the US/Mexico border shape the healthcare beliefs and practices of individuals diagnosed with cancer and individuals who are HIV+. My lab is also examining the structure and spread of different conceptions related to COVID-19. This work is part of a cross-border collaboration and exchange with a faculty member and students at the UABC School of Medicine in Mexicali. I have also worked for over 15 years with a Tseltal Mayan community in Chiapas, Mexico. My projects there include an ethnographic study of indigenous women’s agency in reproductive healthcare in the context of a major Mexican anti-poverty program, experimental studies on the development of scientific and supernatural beliefs, and extensive work on the relationship between spatial language and cognition. I recently received a grant to study the effect of education on science and religion narratives in this context. Currently accepting entering MA students. |
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Center for Understanding and Treating Anxiety – The primary emphasis in the lab is studying information-processing biases that may lead to the maintenance, and possibly the development of, anxiety disorders. We use various paradigms that examine cognitive disturbances (e.g., attentional bias, implicit and explicit memory bias, interpretation bias) in anxious patients and normal individuals with elevated trait anxiety. Currently work is being conducted to apply the findings from experimental psychopathology and information processing to devise interventions for these disorders. Currently accepting entering MA Students.
From inside SDSU please visit: https://cuta.sdsu.edu |
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Institute for Behavioral and Community Health (IBACH) – Dr. Arredondo’s research is in the area of health disparities. Her research focuses on the development, implementation and evaluation of multilevel interventions that improve the health of ethnic and sexual minorities and socially/economically disadvantaged communities. As Co-Lead of the Intervention Methods Group in HealthLINK, Dr. Arredondo supports researchers seeking to develop new or adapt existing evidence-based interventions for different populations and settings. Currently, Dr. Arredondo and her team are pilot testing the effectiveness of a 12-week mother-daughter intervention (Conmigo) promoting physical activity in pre-adolescent Latinas compared to a control condition. Dr. Arredondo’s overarching goal is to translate and scale up evidence based interventions that promote physical activity and cancer screening in diverse communities. Currently accepting undergraduate and MA Students. |
 Larissa, Barber, Ph.D |
Occupational Health and Stress Laboratory (OHS Lab) – This lab conducts both field and laboratory studies with a common theme of the self-regulation of behavior (both at work and home) in the occupational health psychology context. We explore research questions in the following overlapping topic areas: (1) employee sleep, (2) technology and work-life balance, and (3) stress and organizational behaviors. For example, how does sleep affect our well-being and behavior at work? What are the benefits and drawbacks of technology use for work-life balance and stress? How might harmful (counterproductive work behaviors) and helpful (organizational citizenship) behaviors at work and home be influenced by employee stress and health? Research key words; occupational health psychology, work-life balance, technology use, workplace telepressure, employee sleep, employee well-being, employee stress, counterproductive work behaviors, organizational citizenship behaviors, positive psychology. Currently accepting entering MS Students. |
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Body Image, Sexuality, and Health (BISH) Lab– Under the direction of Aaron J. Blashill, Ph.D., the BISH lab focuses its research on the role body image plays in influencing health behaviors. We are particularly interested in studying HIV medication adherence, HIV sexual transmission risk behaviors, skin cancer prevention, and anabolic-androgenic steroid misuse. Another focus of the lab is studying sexual orientation health disparities in regard to these health behaviors. We also study vulnerable developmental phases, including adolescence and emerging adulthood. A number of scientific methods/statistical analyses are employed within the lab including: treatment development and randomized clinical trials, longitudinal analysis, mediation, moderation, meta-analysis, and psychometric evaluation. Currently accepting entering MA Students. |
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Alcohol Sensory Processing/Behavioral Neurobiology – Primary interests are in studying the physiological mechanisms of action of ethanol on the nervous system that regulate behavioral ingestion of the drug. Goals are to identify specific substrates with which ethanol interacts that are involved in controlling intake and to determine how variation in those substrates leads to excessive consumption. Research utilizes pharmacological and genetic manipulations combined with quantitative measures of ingestive behavior and in vivo electrophysiology to address these issues. Research Keywords: Addiction, Alcohol, Ethanol, Chemosensory, Taste, Trigeminal. Currently accepting entering MA Students. |
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Close Relationships, Health, and Mental Health Lab – Research in this lab focuses on aspects of various types of close relationships, such as dating, marriage, and friendship relationships, and how they affect relationship functioning, health, and mental health. Some of the specific aspects of relationships we examine include marital satisfaction, sexuality, intimate partner violence, and cultural factors, e.g., acculturation, acculturative stress, and familism. We examine these issues within the individual, across partners (dyadic effects), as well as how these issues play out over time. |
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Personality Measurement Lab – This research group examines the measurement of various personality dimensions and how they are related to work and health outcomes. For example, research in this lab assesses a variety of temporal and personality characteristics including Big 5 dimensions, time urgency, polychronicity (preference for multitasking), and time management behaviors and relates them to work and health outcomes in employees in a variety of different organizations and industries. Research Keywords: Multitasking, Stress, Personality, Selection, Personnel, Performance, Time, Organization. Currently accepting entering MS Students. |
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Eating Disorders and Body Image – Eating disorders and body image, including cultural and familial contributions to these issues; resilience and promotion of mental and physical wellbeing in college students; quality of life and relationship with the body among cancer patients and survivors; and mental-health issues pertaining to Latinos, women, and individuals from lower socioeconomic statuses. Research Keywords: eating disorders, body image, college students, Latinos, cancer. |
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Health Outcomes Studies – We develop, implement, and evaluate interventions designed to increase the health and well-being of people with chronic diseases. We assess both psychological and physical health and conduct cost-benefit analyses of interventions. We collaborate with Dr. Ksenija Marinkovic and her team to study changes that occur in the brain as a function of the interventions.There are several research opportunities for students (undergraduate, graduate, or post-graduate) interested in health psychology. Research Keywords: Health, Community, Disparities, Ethnicity, Chronic Illness, Mental Health, Interventions, Integrated health care, Cancer, Pain. Currently accepting entering MA Students. |
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Intergroup Relations Laboratory – Research in this lab focuses on issues related to social identity, stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination. We explore how attitudes and beliefs about self and social groups operate outside of conscious awareness or control. For example, some of our work reveals that ethnic minorities (African, Asian, Latino, or Native Americans) are implicitly conceived of as being less American than White/European Americans. We are also investigating the influence of socio-cultural realities on the implicit academic self-concept of underrepresented groups. Finally, we conduct research on emotional responses occurring in intergroup contexts. Students are involved in all steps of research; they gain experience in designing studies, collecting and analyzing data, as well as interpreting results. Research Keywords: Intergroup Relations, Social Identity, Prejudice, Stereotypes, Multiculturalism, Diversity. Currently accepting entering MA Students. |
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Infant and Child Development Laboratory – The Infant and Child Development Lab, directed by Margaret Friend, Ph.D., is taking new Masters students this year! Our lab is focused on changes in language and cognition over time during the first five years of life. Our purpose in studying these changes is 1) to understand how early skills predict development over time, 2) to understand the mechanisms that support development at any one point in time (say at age two or four) and how these might differ over time and 3) to understand universal and culture-specific patterns in development and the mechanisms that support it. Our research in firmly rooted in the tradition of public health as it pertains to children. We are a very collaborative laboratory of undergraduate and graduate students at the Masters and Doctoral levels. Former students in our lab have gone on to doctoral programs in Human Development, Developmental Psychology, Developmental Neuroscience, Forensics, and Education. Dr. Friend’s Curriculum Vitae Research Keywords: spatial learning, conceptual development, language acquisition, language comprehension, crosslinguistic, cognitive development, emergent literacy, literacy, school-readiness, executive function. Currently accepting entering MA Students. |
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South Bay Latino Research Center (SBLRC) – The research within the SBLRC focuses on psychological and social factors in cardio-metabolic conditions (cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity), understanding disparities in these conditions, and developing and evaluating culturally appropriate psychosocial and behavioral interventions to improve outcomes in at-risk populations, particularly Hispanics/Latinos. Our research applies a transdisciplinary, biopsychosocial approach, incorporating factors such as socioeconomic status, ethnicity, physical activity, diet/nutrition, stress, social relationships, and biological mechanisms and indicators of health and disease. In 2016-2017, the SBLRC is running multiple NIH-funded studies. The Study of Latinos-Community and Surrounding Areas Study (SOL-CASAS) is an ancillary study to the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) that will examine how the social and built neighborhood environments relate to physical activity and cardiometabolic health among Hispanics/Latinos in San Diego. SOL-CASITAS will examine biopsychosocial and ecological correlates of sedentary behavior among Hispanic/Latina women in San Diego who are part of the SOL-CASAS study. The Avocado Study is a cluster randomized trial that aims to examine the impact of avocado consumption on cardiovascular disease risk factors and overall dietary patterns of Hispanic/Latino families. The American Heart Association Project 2 Study will examine the effectiveness of a new intervention intended to reduce sitting time among older Latinas by helping them identify where and when they sit most often. Finally, the Latinos Understanding the Need for Adherence in Diabetes (LUNA-D) Study is a randomized trial that will evaluate the efficacy of a linguistically and culturally appropriate chronic disease management intervention among 400 registered San Ysidro Health Center, Inc. Latino patients with type 2 diabetes. Currently, all the studies listed above are seeking research assistants. RAs/interns will generally be assigned to one of the above studies and will assist with the development of study materials, perform data collection and data entry, conduct informed consent, assist with process evaluation/quality control of intervention activities, and perform other duties that will contribute to the overall success of the study. Research Keywords: health disparities, socioeconomic status, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, minority health, social factors. Currently accepting undergraduate and MA Students. Spanish language proficiency is highly desired. |
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Aging and Dementia – My primary research interests focus on neurocognitive, behavioral, and motor changes in older adults and individuals diagnosed with neurodegenerative disease. I am particularly interested in memory impairments associated with healthy aging, Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease. Research Keywords: Aging, Memory, Alzheimer’s Disease, Huntington’s Disease, Neuropsychology, Cognition, Neurodegeneration, Dementia, Hippocampus. Currently accepting entering MA Students. |
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Cross Cultural I/O Psychology – This research lab investigates the influences of culture on core work values, and the role of culture in influencing workers’ reactions to their experiences at work. For instance, we study the role of person-group fit in different cultural contexts, and the effects of culture on perceptions of workplace phenomena. Our research often uses very large multinational data sets, and includes collaborators from other countries. We are also conducting original research on sexual harassment in organizations, and the factors that influence reactions to harassing experiences in the workplace. This research adopts a cultural lens, and investigates how sexual harassment plays out in various national contexts. In other research, we are investigating the fit between human resource practices and culture, and how organizations can profit by implementing programs that fit cultural norms and expectations. Currently accepting entering MS Students. |
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Quantitative Methods Lab – Develops and refines statistical models that (1) measure psychological constructs, and (2) analyze longitudinal data. More specifically, uses both frequentist and Bayesian approaches to estimate novel multilevel and structural equation models designed to either separate psychological constructs from a variety of method effects, or summarize how psychological constructs unfold over time. Currently accepting entering MA and MS Students. |
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Improving Health Outcomes Through Technology (iHOTT) Lab – Under the direction of Keith J. Horvath, Ph.D., the iHOTT lab focuses on using different forms of technology to improve health outcomes, primarily for sexual and gender minority persons and on the HIV prevention and treatment continuum. Technology has transformed both research and clinical practice, and is an important way to overcome healthcare access barriers for persons who face health inequities. In the iHOTT lab, we use different forms of technology to survey participants (e.g., online surveys, ecological momentary analysis) to better understand factors associated with health inequities on the HIV prevention and treatment continuum for marginalized communities. In addition, we develop and test tailored mHealth HIV prevention and treatment interventions to improve HIV prevention and treatment outcomes, as well as to increase overall quality of life for communities impacted by HIV. |
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Social-Health and Affective Neuroscience Lab – Our need to experience intimate social connection persists throughout life. Despite widespread appreciation for the importance of social connection for health and well-being, we lack a complete understanding of how we fulfill our social connection needs and the neurobiological pathways that link social connection with health. Our research, therefore, tackles two interrelated questions: (1) what neurobiological pathways contribute to social connection with the people with whom we are closest? (2) how does social connection, or a lack thereof, affect physical and mental health? We test these questions from the theoretical perspective that social connection is fundamental to our everyday functioning. Therefore, the affective experience from connecting with others may be supported by the same ‘basic’ biological systems that also keep the body functioning. Using methods from pharmacology, neuroscience, psychophysiology, and experimental social psychology we can then assess how changes to the body affect the mind and conversely, how changes to the mind affect the body. Currently accepting entering MA Students. |
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Kappenman’s Lab – This research is broadly focused on understanding cognition and emotion in typical adults, and how these processes become disrupted in individuals with psychological and psychiatric disorders. Her research incorporates cognitive neuroscience techniques, including event-related potentials (ERPs) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). She is also highly focused on the development and dissemination of ERP and tDCS methods, including the development of tools to facilitate the use of ERPs and tDCS across the field. Currently accepting entering MA Students. |
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Psychology of Organizational Well-being and Effectiveness Research (the POWER lab) – In this lab, my students and I conduct research in industrial-organizational psychology. More specifically, we do research under the umbrella of occupational health psychology, with a focus on worker well-being. Our current research is centered in three areas: 1. Worker stress – what are predictors, outcomes, and buffers of workplace stress? 2. Worker safety – how do social and training experiences influence workplace safety? 3. Harassment/discrimination – how do social environments, experiences, training, and time influence the incidence and outcomes of harassment and discrimination?Research Keywords: Occupational health psychology, Employee well-being, Workplace stress, Worker safety, Motivation, Training, Harassment/Discrimination, Labor unions. Currently accepting entering MS Students. |
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Chronic Illness Research Laboratory – This lab explores a broad spectrum of areas in chronic illness, from prevention to post-diagnostic quality of life and survivorship. Research Keywords: chronic illness, quality of life, measurement, assessment, culture, diversity, disparities, prevention, clinical trials, cancer, rheumatic diseases. Currently accepting entering MA Students. |
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Spatio-Temporal Brain Imaging Lab – Our research examines spatio-temporal (i.e. “where and when”) characteristics of distributed neural circuits underlying cognitive and emotional functions such as decision making, language, or face processing. Of particular interest are the effects of alcohol intoxication on self-regulatory functions, as well as neuroadaptive changes associated with binge drinking. We use multimodal functional imaging including magneto- and electroencephalography (MEG/EEG), functional and structural MRI, and psychophysiological measures of autonomic functions, and additionally collaborate on projects focusing on autism spectrum disorder, fibromyalgia, and language processing. Research Keywords: Brain imaging, cognitive neuroscience, executive functions, alcohol, language, fibromyalgia, autism, MEG, EEG, fMRI, genetics. Currently accepting entering MA Students. |
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Stereotyping, Education, and Person Perception (STEPP) Lab – Our lab focuses on several aspects of social cognition including stereotypes, social comparison processes, attention, and information processing. More specifically, we examine the experience of stereotype threat, defined as the situational pressure posed by the prospect of being seen or treated through the lens of a negative group stereotype as well as ways to reduce the negative effects of stereotype threat. Members of the lab are involved in all steps of research from designing experiments to analyzing the results. Research Keywords: Gender, self and identity, prejudice and stereotyping, stereotype threat, social cognition, and intergroup relations. Currently accepting entering MA Students. |
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Measurement and Evaluation Research Group (MERG) – MERG is engaged in research relevant to tobacco control, behavior-environment interaction, measurement, and program evaluation. Our ongoing work examines how microenvironments, such as homes and cars, become polluted with tobacco smoke constituents, how nonsmokers are exposed to secondhand smoke pollutants, and how to better protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke exposure. We investigate how smoking in homes, hotel rooms, and cars can lead to persistent pollution of these micro environments and how nonsmokers may be exposed to toxic tobacco smoke constituents weeks or months after the last cigarette was extinguished. The goal of this research is to design better strategies to protect nonsmokers from secondhand and thirdhand smoke. We also investigate new methods to improve the validity of self-reports, especially retrospective quantitative estimates, by developing measurement strategies that rely on cognitive models of information processing. Specifically, we apply fuzzy set models of magnitude estimates to better reflect how humans encode, process, and communicate quantitative information. Last but not least, we are interested in applying meta-analysis and other methods to probe the generalizability of causal relationships. Research Keywords: tobacco control, behavior-environment interaction, measurement, evaluation, meta-analysis, generalizability of causal relationships , tobacco smoke pollution, microenvironments, secondhand smoke, thirdhand smoke, tobacco policies , validity of self-reports, retrospective quantitative estimates, cognitive models of information processing, fuzzy set theory, fuzzy set models of magnitude estimates. Currently accepting entering MS Students. |
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Alcohol Research Lab – Several ongoing studies are investigating the influence of prenatal alcohol exposure on changes in brain and behavior. Prenatal alcohol exposure is considered the leading known cause of mental retardation, most severly Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). We study neuropsychological, cognitive, and behavioral problems seen in children with FAS and less severe manifestations. There are ample and varied research opportunities for undergraduate, graduate, or post-graduate students interested in neuropsychology, Behavioral Teratology, Physiological Psychology, and/or Neuroscience. Research Keywords: Alcohol, behavioral teratology, neuropsychology, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, prenatal alcohol exposure, fetal alcohol syndrome, Jacobsen syndrome. Currently accepting entering MA Students. |
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Life-Span Human Senses Lab – The Life-Span Human Senses Laboratory pursues biomedical research projects, funded by the NIH, in the following areas: life-span aging of the senses, particularly taste and olfaction; sensation, perception and cognition in Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias using psychological, neuro-psychological, event-related potential and neuroimaging techniques. Students are integrated into the research at all levels, including testing human subjects, data reduction and analysis, presentations to the laboratory group and (when appropriate) at regional and national conferences. Currently accepting entering MA Students. |
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Health Equity, Justice, and Action (HIJA) Lab – Research utilizes behavioral economics, implementation science, and community-based participatory methods to develop and evaluate interventions that address health-related social needs (e.g., food and housing insecurity) and reduce disparities in depression and chronic cardiometabolic diseases (e.g., type 2 diabetes) in Hispanic/Latinx individuals, Medicaid recipients, and low-income populations. Dr. McCurley’s current NIH-funded studies involve developing a telehealth intervention to reduce depression and increase physical activity in low-wage hospital service workers and evaluating the implementation of a new Massachusetts state health policy to address food and housing insecurity in Medicaid patients. |
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Social Influence and Group Dynamics Laboratory – Groups, especially those in the minority, influence others for various reasons. For example, others’ support may be instrumental toward other goals (e.g., getting elected), or it may be a goal in itself (e.g., getting accepted). How do motives that drive social influence affect targets’ reactions to influence. How do successful groups (e.g., minorities that become majorities) react to their success depending on what motivated their efforts to influence others? This research focuses on motivated social influence and group dynamics in the aftermath of successful social influence that restructures numerical positions, power, and status within a group (minority <—> majority, powerless <—> powerful, low status <—> high status). Research Keywords: Social Influence, Persuasion, Attitudes, Group Dynamics, Minority Influence, Social Change. Currently accepting entering MA Students. |
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Stress and Coping Lab – This research lab examines how individuals perceptions of stressful events (e.g., appraisals, attributions) influence the coping methods that they employ to diminish the negative emotion associated with the stressful event and/or eliminate the stressor altogether. We are interested in the role that personality dimensions (e.g., neuroticism, openness) and culture/ethnicity play in shaping these perceptions and the possible positive growth that one can realize from successfully coping with a stressor. Research Keywords: stress, coping, cancer, quality of life, statistics, measurement, psychometrics. Currently accepting entering MA and MS Students. |
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Stereotyping and Emotions (STEM) Lab – Areas of interest include category differentiation and inter-group evaluative bias, the formation of stereotyping and prejudice in groups and the implications for information processing. Dr. Sadler has studied emotions, attributions and policy endorsement in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks. Her current research involves investigation of cognitive control and unconscious racial biases in decision-making in police officers. Currently accepting entering MA Students or the MS Quantitative Methods Emphasis. |
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Motivation and Social Identity Lab– Research examines how social identity and social interactions influence motivational experiences (e.g., interest and belonging) and the self-regulation of motivation. Through this social-contextual approach to understanding motivational processes, recent work addresses the broadening of participation and diversity in science education. Both experimental and field methodologies will be used to study how individuals, particularly those from stigmatized or underrepresented backgrounds, develop and maintain educational/career interest in science. The research will be guided by Kurt Lewin’s “full-cycle” (theory- application- action) model of social psychology. Currently accepting entering MA and Undergraduate Students. |
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Behavioral Teratology – Ongoing research projects examine the effects of drugs of abuse (alcohol and nicotine) on brain and behavioral development. Several studies focus on the consequences of developmental alcohol treatment such as examining mechanisms by which alcohol causes CNS damage, factors that influence vulnerability to alcohol’s adverse effects and potential treatments for reducing the severity of fetal alcohol effects. Students are integrated into all levels of research and gain experience with behavioral testing and histological evaluation. Currently accepting entering MA Students. |
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Differences Among Generations – This research explores how generations differ in personality traits and attitudes through meta-analysis (using statistics to analyze existing data from journal articles). Current projects explore changes in alienation, interpersonal trust, and psychiatric symptoms; virtually any psychological trait can be studied with this method. Research Keywords: Generations, Birth cohort, Personality, Narcissism, Social psychology, Cultural change, Culture, Self-esteem, Gender roles, Anxiety. Currently accepting entering MA Students. |
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Social Relationships, Stigma, and Health Lab – This research focuses on the intersections of social and health psychology. We define health in a number of ways: mental health (such as anxiety and depression), physical health (such as cardiovascular functioning and fatigue), and health-related behaviors (such as sleep, diet, and exercise). We look at a variety of social relationships such as roommates, romantic partners, and work colleagues and the elements of relationships that are particularly health relevant – namely, social support. We also examine stigma. Stigma is associated with many health conditions (from depression and anxiety to diabetes and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder). This stigma influences those with the condition as well as close others (parents, children, friends) and we examine how stigma influences health and helping behaviors of those in need as well as close others. Currently accepting entering MA Students. |
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Healthy Child and Family Development (HCFD) Lab – The HCFD lab conducts clinical research that is focused in two primary areas. First, we use advanced quantitative methods to identify the risk and protective processes through which violence, abuse, neglect, and other adverse and traumatic events contribute to maladaptive academic, social, behavioral, and occupational outcomes among children and adolescents from at-risk and ethnic minority populations. This work has focused on children and adolescents who are at-risk for child abuse and neglect, have been in foster care, have attention-deficit/hyperactivity (ADHD) and/or disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs), are living in an under-resourced environment, as well as among at-risk ethnic minority youth. Building on these findings, I conduct research on the development, adaptation, implementation, and dissemination of evidence-based psychosocial intervention strategies to promote physical, academic, social, and emotional well-being among diverse children and adolescents, as well as their families. These interventions are often targeted for youth who are at-risk for violence exposure, living in urban poverty or have been exposed to other forms of adversity, and/or have impairments associated with ADHD and DBDs. Currently accepting entering MA Students. |
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Child and Adolescent Anxiety and Mood Program (ChAAMP) – Research in this lab focuses on the development of effective and efficient interventions for youth anxiety and depression. The lab is also interested in probing the mechanisms of action of these psychosocial interventions. Current projects include a series of studies aimed at developing ‘practice friendly’ cognitive-behavioral therapy for youth anxiety and depression. Research Keywords: Anxiety, Depression, Treatment, Children, Adolescents, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. Currently accepting entering MA Students. |
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Cancer Disparities and Cancer Communication Lab – Research in this lab focuses broadly on cancer-related disparities and cancer communication, with specific interest in patient navigation interventions, community health worker interventions, and the development and evaluation of multiple types of health communication interventions. Current research projects include: the development and evaluation of patient navigation programs to improve cervical cancer prevention and breast cancer survivorship care; the development of an embodied conversational agent computer application to provide education to Spanish speakers about cervical cancer, cervical cancer screening, and human papillomavirus; and the evaluation of multimedia interventions providing education about cancer-related research. Research Keywords: cancer-related disparities, cancer communication, breast cancer, cervical cancer, human papillomavirus, biobanking, social media, health communication. Currently accepting entering MA students. |
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Translational Emotion Neuroscience Laboratory (TENDlab) – We study brain activation patterns involved in typical and impaired socio-emotional development (for example, social interaction with other people, reading people’s emotions, reacting to people’s facial expressions). In particular, we are interested in understanding factors (e.g., genetics, social, family) that affect brain function in children and adolescents without disorders, in addition to youth with autism, depression, anxiety, and irritability symptoms. To accomplish this, we use functional MRI, functional connectivity, genetic, behavioral, and neuropsychological tools. Research Keywords: Brain imaging, development, autism spectrum disorder, irritability, anxiety, depression, functional MRI, connectivity, emotion, affect, social function, childhood, adolescence. Currently accepting entering MA and JDP (PhD) students. |
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Child and Adolescent Mental Health Lab – Research in this lab involves mental health services delivery for children, with particular interests in cultural issues, cultural competence, school involvement in services, and adapting efficacious treatments for culturally diverse populations. Research Keywords: mental health services, children/youth, race/ethnicity, culture, cultural competence. Currently accepting entering MA Students. |
Research Associate Professors
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Brain Development Imaging Lab – The BDIL studies functional and anatomical brain development in neurotypical children and those with developmental disorders (especially autism). Research applies multimodal magnetic resonance imaging techniques (functional and functional connectivity MRI, anatomical volumetrics, diffusion tensor imaging and tractography, MR spectroscopy), as well as behavioral and neuropsychological measures. My work within BDIL primarily utilizes anatomical MRI and structural connectivity MRI (diffusion MRI) in examining the neurobiological bases of ASD. I have a particular interest in the brain and cognitive changes that occur as adults with autism age, and am coordinating a BDIL study to track adults ages 45-60 years. Currently accepting entering MA Students. |
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Social, Cognitive and Affective Neurodevelopment (SCAN) group – My main research interests lie in the domain broadly described as social / developmental neuroscience. I’m investigating how brain networks and circuits are organized and function in typical and atypical development, ultimately giving rise to our complex social behaviors (the way we interact with others). To this end, we utilize advanced multimodal MRI approaches (functional connectivity MRI, diffusion imaging) to investigate how behavioral difficulties in social domain (such as social impairments associated with autism spectrum disorders) map to atypical brain circuits, and when the organization and function of these circuits diverge from the patterns observed in typical development. Current work is focusing on characterizing structure and function of cortical networks at the time of first behavioral signs of autism (at age 1-2 years), and tracking changes in brain network organization through the full symptom manifestation at age 4-5 years. Research keywords: brain development, social developmental neuroscience, social cognition, functional MRI, brain connectivity, autism spectrum disorders. Currently accepting entering MA students. |
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Brain Development Imaging Lab – The BDIL studies functional and anatomical brain development in neurotypical children and those with developmental disorders (especially autism). Our research applies multimodal magnetic resonance imaging techniques (functional and functional connectivity MRI, anatomical volumetrics, diffusion tensor imaging and tractography, MR spectroscopy), as well as behavioral and neuropsychological measures. My work within the BDIL primarily utilizes functional MRI to investigate how brain function changes over the lifespan, with a specific focus on how sensory processing relates to language, motor and social skills. Currently accepting entering MA students. |
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NeuroCognition Laboratory – The global mission of the NeuroCognition Lab, co-directed by Drs. Phillip Holcomb and Katherine Midgley, is to provide a better understanding of the cognitive and underlying neural mechanisms involved in language comprehension in healthy adults, children learning to read and cognitively impaired populations. The primary question our lab is interested in is how language and other, possibly related, cognitive systems are organized and function in the human brain. Our research also encompasses questions of multi- and bilingual language processing, motivated by the conviction that language research in general must more fully consider the bilingual mind (the norm in most of the world) in order to have a more complete picture of human language processing. Our research primarily uses event-related potentials (ERPs) but also magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG), to track the time course of language processes in the brain. Currently accepting entering MA Students. |
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Developmental Neuroscience Lab – Research examining the brain and behavior through the lifespan. Neuroimaging techniques and behavioral assessment are used to to study the brain and functional consequences of prenatal alcohol exposure for individuals with such histories, as well as in a preclinical model. Currently accepting entering MA Students. |
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Information-processing in anxiety disorders |
