We offer students the opportunity to go beyond classroom learning and actually engage in activities similar to those of professionals in the field with the use of laboratories.
Emotion-Cognition Neuroscience Laboratory: The lab conducts fundamental research in emotion and cognition neuroscience, employing various methods, including behavioral studies, EEG/ERP, and fMRI. Our long-term aspiration is to bridge the gap between basic science and clinical applications, ultimately contributing to the development of effective interventions and training programs. This laboratory is supervised by Dr. Kesong Hu.
Biobehavioral Laboratory: The Biobehavioral Laboratory houses equipment for faculty-student collaborations and classroom demonstrations. Using a special machine and sensors, you can learn to control normal involuntary processes such as heart rate and blood pressure that increase under stress. The machine “feeds back” the efforts and eventually you can recognize and control facets of the stress response by yourself. Once viewed with skepticism, the control of “involuntary” responses is now seen to be effective in the treatment of migraine headaches, asthma, and other disorders in certain individuals.
The Biobehavioral Laboratory is sometimes referred to as the Sleep Laboratory as it houses an incredible new Cadwell Dual-purpose Polysomnograph with Synchronous Digital Video and EEG for night and day use. Students and faculty will have the opportunity to investigate questions such as: (a) How much sleep do we need, and what is the minimum amount? (non-clinical basic research), (b) How can we combat driver sleepiness? (applied research) and (c) What are the therapeutic effects of sleep restriction in severe depression? (clinical basic research). This laboratory is supervised by Dr. David Mastin.
Developmental Research Laboratory: The Developmental Research Lab is used for training students to participate in research projects with children. Students interested in this type of research should enroll in a Developmental Psychology course.