Research

The lab’s primary research goal is to gain a better understanding of how basic cognitive processes and individual differences in emotion and mood regulation increase the risk for the onset of depression and anxiety disorders, and hinder recovery from these disorders. We are currently working on a number of projects that integrate psychological and biological risk factors and investigate the role of attention, memory, and emotion regulation in the onset and maintenance of depressive disorders and anxiety disorders. We have also started projects that investigate factors that might explain the high rates of co-occurrence of depression and social anxiety.
 
To hear Dr. Joormann talk about our work, check out this video from the Experts in Emotion series.
 
Please note that research assitants are expected to be IN PERSON at least some of the time for lab tasks. A two-semester commitment (5-10 hours/week) is strongly preferred. If you are interested, please email the PIs of the projects that you are most interested. 
 
PROJECTS

  • Neural Representations of Anxiety Versus Depression-Related Schema in Trauma-Exposed Population (Lydia Qu)

    This project aims to assess whether stressful life events activate distinct negative self-schemas (negative beliefs about the self and the world) that map onto anxiety versus depression. In this fMRI study, participants will listen to audio recordings of 9 narratives in the scanner. These 9 narratives reflect 3 different ways (neutral/anxiety/depression) of thinking about and dealing with 3 ambiguous stressors. Results of this study seek to characterize brain regions differentially activated to the encoding and retrieval of anxiety- and depression-related schema in the trauma-exposed adults. I will be looking for research assistants to recruit participants for data collection over 2026 summer in person. If you are interested in getting involved, please email your CV to lydia.qu@yale.edu.

  • The Eating and Emotion Study (PI: Miranda Copps)

​We are currently studying the interconnectedness of physiological and emotional systems, in a social context. While many people report feeling angry or upset during states of hunger, little attention has been given to this phenomenon in mental health research and the impact of “hanger” on interpersonal outcomes has not been studied. To study this phenomenon, we are combining ecological momentary assessment (EMA), where participants answer short surveys on their smartphone several times per day, with an experimental psychology paradigm in which we ask participants to fast before lab sessions. We are using task-based measures, self-report surveys and blood glucose readings to better understand the relationship between states of hunger, emotion and interpersonal interactions. If you are interested in getting involved, please email miranda.copps@yale.edu. 

  • Examining Beliefs about Environmental Dynamics in Daily Life with Computational Modeling (Jessica Duda and Mark Chen)

Correctly tracking the dynamics of the environment is central to forming predictions. This study is applying computational modeling approaches to ecological momentary assessment data to understand how depression and anxiety alter the perceived and objective dynamics of daily events. We are currently recruiting a motivated RA interested in computational modeling, coding, statistical analyses, and literature reviews. Note that data is already collected, so RAs will be contributing to data management and analysis. If you are interested in getting involved, please email your CV to jessica.duda@yale.edu. 

  • Flexibility of Attention During Context Updates in Social Evaluation (FOCUS; Yutong Zhu)

​This study examines how individuals respond to social-evaluative stress across virtual reality (VR) and in-person contexts. Using a multimethod approach that combines psychophysiological measures (including ECG and impedance cardiography), cognitive tasks, behavioral assessments, and self-report, the project investigates how social stress influences emotional, physiological, and attentional responses. We are particularly interested in individual differences related to social anxiety, including how people perceive social evaluation, direct their attention, and recover following stressful experiences. We are currently looking for 1–2 in-person research assistants who are interested in gaining hands-on training in psychophysiological data processing and scoring. If you are interested in getting involved, please email yutong.zhu@yale.edu with the subject line “FOCUS RA.”

  • Deficits in Belief Updating as a Mechanism Underlying Social Anxiety and Depression and the Interplay Between these Disorders (Reut Zabag) 

    The aim of the current research is to understand the role of belief updating in the temporal unfolding of social anxiety and depression. I am also interested in understanding the role of belief updating in moderating the relationship between these disorders. If you are interested in getting involved, please email your CV to: reut.zabag@yale.edu.

  • Evaluating the Reliability and Convergent Validity of Various Belief Updating Measures (Reut Zabag) 

    The aim of the study is to assess the reliability and convergent validity of various measures of belief updating. If you are interested in getting involved, please email your CV to: reut.zabag@yale.edu.