DEFINE “I” YOURSELF
DIY LAB:
THE TRUE YOU LAB
***Dr. Castagna will be reviewing applications for a new clinical psychology graduate student for fall 2026 admission.
The Define ‘I’ Yourself
(DIY) Lab
Department of Psychology
The University of Alabama
Our research focuses on how children and adolescents develop a sense of self (self-beliefs), where we leverage computational modeling to unpack task-based behavior often in conjunction with EEG to better understand brain-behavior relationships.
We typically take a transdiagnostic approach (across disorders) to understand the self:
-Callous-Unemotional Traits (CU)
-Conduct Disorder
-ADHD
-Anxiety
-Depression
Research areas include: Self-Referential Processing, Emotion Regulation & Executive Functioning.
Research in youth.
1. Identifying unique neural signatures (fMRI or EEG) of psychopathy subtypes.
2. Identifying the neural architecture of enhanced executive functioning found in individuals with elevated callous-unemotional (CU) traits.
3. Identifying biomarkers of CU subtypes through neurocomputational models of self-referential processing.
Research in adults.
1. Examine how psychopathy subtypes in adults differ in their relation to executive functioning, emotion regulation, and self-referential processing.
