RESEARCH
The brain becomes who you are
-Joe LeDoux
What we do.
Our research largely revolves around the idea that the words a child or adolescent uses to describe themselves serve as a window into their evolving sense of self (e.g., self-referential processing).
Self-report measures provide key information on youths’ explicit beliefs about themselves.
While self-reports are important, we focus on the intersection between explicit and implicit self-beliefs.
How we do it.
Behavior.
Computer-based tasks of self-beliefs:
Make fast (but accurate!) decisions on whether a self-descriptive adjective (e.g., funny, smart) is consistent with their sense of self.
Brain.
Electroencephalography (EEG)
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
Brain x Behavior.Joint neural-behavioral computational modeling – combines an adolescent’s task performance with concurrent brain activity.
Why we do it.
Further our understanding of the development and modification of self-referential processing to improve treatment outcomes in children and adolescents.
…Establishing a more confident and courageous self.