About
Research in our laboratory synthesizes personality science, cognitive neuroscience, and computational psychiatry to better understand the normative and dysfunctional development of personality and self-regulation.
We are especially interested in decision processes and neurocomputational systems that underlie personality pathology and suicidal behavior. Risky behaviors (e.g., reckless driving or petty crimes) are often most pronounced in teenagers and young adults. Although in moderation, taking risks may facilitate greater self-efficacy (e.g., asking out someone for a date despite feeling anxious), in youth whose emotions tend to be stronger and who have greater difficulty controlling their behavior, adolescence may be a period of vulnerability for emotional problems and psychopathology.