Adolescents who experience sustained childhood maltreatment show high, inflexible cortisol levels that persist throughout the day in different social contexts, a new study shows. This flattened cortisol rhythm may be a pathway for poorer physical and mental health in youth that experience abuse.
Seth Pollak
Seth Pollak, PhD – Slide of the Week
Title: Importance of Predictability for Children Citation: Xu, Y., Harms, M. B., Green, C. S., Wilson, R. C., & Pollak, S. D. (2023). Childhood unpredictability and the development of exploration. Proceedings of the National Academy of …
Kids who feel their parents are less reliable take fewer risks vital to learning and growth
Trying something new is a risk every child undertakes as they explore and learn about the world. While risk can be costly, it can also pay off in rewards or knowledge.
The beginnings and evolution of brain imaging at the Waisman Center
The development of brain imaging techniques has helped us understand emotion, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and neurodegenerative diseases in ways we could not before.
Seth Pollak: A career dedicated to understanding child emotion
The fun decals on the colorful walls and the cheerful environment gives it away, the third floor of the Waisman Center is dedicated to children. This space is where Seth Pollak, PhD, has spent most of his career studying child emotion, and how early life experiences shape the brain during development.
Child Emotion Lab Studies (Pollak)
Research projects in the Child Emotion Lab are focused on children’s emotional development and the relationship between early life experiences and children’s mental health. We are particularly interested in understanding two related aspects of emotional …
Seth Pollak Research Forward Award
UW-Madison recently announced the second round of recipients for the Research Forward program with Seth Pollak, PhD, a Waisman investigator among them.
Seth Pollak, PhD – Slide of the Week
Learning the value of environmental signals and using that information to guide behavior is critical for survival. Stress in childhood may influence these processes, but how it does so is still unclear.
Guggenheim Fellowship awarded to Waisman investigator Seth Pollak
Dr. Seth Pollak, the College of Letters & Science Distinguished Professor of Psychology, has been named a Fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.
Seth Pollak, PhD – Slide of the Week
To slow the progression of COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have recommended wearing face coverings. However, very little is known about how occluding parts of the face might impact the emotion inferences that children make during social interactions.