Laboratory for the Study of Emotion, Motivation, and Self Control

Our laboratory primarily investigates human emotional and motivational processes. We assess emotional and motivational processes in various ways – via self-report, behavioral (e.g., facial responses, responses on the Approach Avoidance Task (AAT), and autonomic measures (HR, SCL, RSA, PEP). We are interested in how different cognitive variables – both trait (e.g., working memory capacity) and state (abstract/global versus concrete/local processing) – influence people’s automatic reactions to emotional stimuli (mostly “approach” emotions to appetitive stimuli), as well as their ability to control emotional responses. Reciprocally, we are also interested in how emotion regulation (e.g., reappraisal) alters people’s automatic motivational responses to emotional (mostly appetitive) stimuli and global/local focus.