Active Studies
Schizotypy, Sense of Self & Social Behavior
Individuals with a schizophrenia exhibit deficits in core domains of social cognition, such as emotion perception, facial recognition, social cue perception, and attributional style. However, the relationship between these social cognitive principles and trait schizotypy requires further investigation. This project aims to examine the relationship between trait schizotypy, sense of self, social knowledge and behavior, in addition to emotion and affect, using multimodal assessment.
Contextual Real-world Assessment of Mood
(CRAM)
This study seeks to understand the impact of one's context (e.g., where you are and with whom) on affect, social appraisal, and self-efficacy in individuals at varying levels of trait schizotypy. Using an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) method, we hope to capture real-world emotions and cognitions across a range of social contexts to clarify the nature of these relationships with dimensional schizotypy.
Coming Soon
Experiences of Mental Health in South Asian Cultures
Although mental health care has improved significantly over the last decade, many people still choose not to seek treatment. While there are likely a number of possible contributors to this treatment disparity, one explanation may be mental health stigma. Previous work also suggests that mental health stigma may be culturally influenced. The goals of this study are: (1) examine experiences and explanations of mental health in South Asian cultures and (2) investigate the influence of culture on mental health stigma, help seeking behavior, and patterns of health care utilization.
Selected Previous Studies
Prediction and Recall of Affect & Anhedonia
Both prediction and recall of affect have been posited to be abnormal in individuals with schizophrenia. Using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) techniques, this study examined predictions and recall of positive and negative affect over several time periods (several hours, one day, one week) compared to actual affect experienced, across contexts, in individuals with schizophrenia and healthy volunteers.
Emotion & Social Interaction in Schizophrenia
The goal of this behavioral studies was to: (1) assess individual difference, emotion, and contextual factors influencing social cognition in schizophrenia and (2) assess the utilization of social cognitive abilities and behavior (e.g., gesture performance) during social engagement in individuals with schizophrenia.