Laboratory Members
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Anna Bechner, Research Laboratory Manager E-mail: ambechner@wisc.edu |
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Jamie Hanson, Graduate Student, Individualized Graduate Major B.A., 2003, University of Pennsylvania (Psychology) I am interested in how emotions change over time. Before joining this lab, I worked at the Yale School of Medicine studying schizophrenia and the University of Pennsylvania conducting fMRI studies of language. My undergraduate thesis at the University of Pennsylvania focused on emotion regulation using a perfusion MRI technique. Currently, I am interested in using brain imaging techniques to understand how plasticity, individual differences, and early experience play a role in children's development. E-mail: jlhanson5@wisc.edu |
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Brian Leitzke, Graduate Student, Clinical Psychology B.S., 2007, University of Wisconsin - Madison (Elementary Education) As an elementary school teacher I gained extensive experience working with children and families from diverse backgrounds. Through these experiences I developed an interest in discovering what genetic and environmental factors contribute to the development of psychopathology among children and adolescents. More specifically, I am interested in how these factors impact children's development over time and what mechanisms maintain or even exacerbate specific psychological states and traits across development, and also what role processes such as emotion and attention regulation play. My recent work involves investigating the impact of anxiety on attentional biases utilizing eye tracker technology. E-mail: btleitzke@wisc.edu |
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Barb Roeber, Community Outreach Coordinator M.S., 1988, St. Cloud State University (Child and Family Studies) B.S., 1977, Michigan State University (Special Education) My background includes over 25 years of work with children and families including teaching children with emotional disabilities, counseling children affected by abuse, and supporting children with developmental disabilities. I am a licensed social worker in the state of Wisconsin and also hold a lifetime teaching license in Wisconsin. I am passionate about making a difference in the lives of children and families. E-mail: roeber@waisman.wisc.edu |
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Sarah Romens, Graduate Student, Clinical Psychology M.A., 2006, University of Wisconsin-Madison (Clinical Psychology) B.A., 2005, University of Wisconsin-Madison (Psychology) My research interests involve cognitive risk factors for depression, particularly rumination. My current research explores ruminative processes in response to a negative stressor, and whether individuals with a negative cognitive style show different patterns of rumination than those with a positive cognitive style. I am also interested in exploring etiology of depression in adolescence when prevalence of the disorder dramatically increases, particularly for females. I hope to examine how normative cognitive maturation and biological development interact with cognitive processes to contribute to the development of depression. E-mail: sebrehm@wisc.edu |
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Leslie Seltzer, Post-doctoral Fellow Ph.D., 2009, University of Wisconsin-Madison (Biological Anthropology) M.S., 2007, University of Wisconsin-Madison (Biological Anthropology) M.S., 2000, George Washington University (Forensic Chemistry) B.S., 1998, SUNY Binghamton (Biological Anthropology) I am interested in studying the evolution of language in our species. One current paradigm holds that language evolved in order to communicate nonsocial information, such as the location of likely prey animals, water, or other resources. Another holds that language evolved for social reasons, i.e., to help humans monitor increasingly complex relationships with those in their environments. Endocrine analysis of nonhuman primates (for comparative purposes), neurotypical individuals, and those affected with autism/related disorders may shed light on this question. My work to date has focused on helping to develop/validate a noninvasive assay with Toni Ziegler to measure oxytocin in the urine of the common marmoset under conditions of changing social stimulation, especially isolation and subsequent reunion with the pair-bonded mate. E-mail: lseltzer@wisc.edu |
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Kate Shannon, Post-doctoral Fellow Ph.D., 2010, University of Washington (Child Clinical Psychology) M.S. 2006, University of Washington (Child Clinical Psychology) B.S., 2002, University of California-Berkeley (Cognitive Science, Neuroscience Focus) My research focuses on the neurobiological and psychophysiological underpinnings of child and adolescent behavior problems. I am particularly interested in understanding the neural correlates of impulsive choices and risk taking behaviors during adolescence, a time in which the brain changes in both structure and function. I am also interested in how children and adolescents learn from environmental feedback and whether these processes differ among those high on trait impulsivity. My research incorporates a developmental psychopathology approach , which attends to the interaction of environmental risk and biological vulnerability. During my postdoc I will be studying the relationship between emotional states and children's cognitive and learning processes. I am currently investigating how emotional arousal influences behavior during cognitive engagement. Related to my research interests, my clinical interests lie in pediatric neuropsychology, specifically in understanding executive dysfunction in children with developmental disabilities, neurological conditions, and those who have suffered from a brain injury. E-Mail: kshannon@waisman.wisc.edu |
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Nicole Strang, Graduate Student, Individualized Graduate Major B.S., 2004, Queen's University, Canada (Psychology) I am interested in exploring how the experience of adverse early care, such as abuse or neglect from a primary caregiver, affects brain development. Individuals who experience this type of care are more likely to develop psychopathology, however, little is known about the brain changes that may be associated with this experience, and how they confer risk for psychopathology. I am particularly interested in exploring whether brain systems that govern emotion regulation differ as a function of early care experience. E-mail: nstrang@wisc.edu |
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Katherine Surrence, Graduate Student, Clinical Psychology B.A., 2001, Swarthmore College (English Literature and Psychology) My previous research focused on rumination and depression in young adults. In my doctoral work, I'll study how both typically and atypically developing children exhibit the precursors of adult adaptation and psychopathology. Specifically, I'm interested in studying how physiological development relates to emotion regulation and the cognitive elaboration of emotions. E-mail: surrence@wisc.edu |
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Anne van Grondelle, Research Assistant B.A. 2001, Wellesley College (Economics) My primary interest is the relationship between familial factors, particularly child maltreatment and parental mental health, and children's emotional development. I am especially curious about the cognitive dimension of children's emotions, resulting from their own actions and those taken by others, such as guilt, pride, and empathy. Furthermore, I am interested in the interplay between the development of emotion and psychopathology. My background includes work at Massachusetts General Hospital in the study of temperament in young children, specifically the reaction to novel stimuli, as a risk factor for later onset of psychological disorders. E-mail: vangrondelle@wisc.edu |
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Child Emotion Lab Alumni
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Joseph L. Flanders, PhD Research Director Montreal General Hospital McGill University
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Lori M. Hilt, PhD Assistant Professor Department of Psychology Lawrence University |
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Jennifer McDermott, PhD Assistant Professor Department of Psychology University of Massachusetts – Amherst |
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Jessica Shackman, Ph.D.
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Elizabeth A. Shirtcliff, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Psychology University of New Orleans |
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Alison B. Wismer Fries, Ph.D.
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