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Labs Within Social Ecology

 

Adolescent and Childhood Experience Lab

Dr. Jodi Quas (jquas@uci.edu)

Here in the Adolescent and Childhood Experience Lab at the University of California, Irvine, we are dedicated to improving the lives of children of all ages through science. We work on many projects with families all over Orange County, across the United States, and even in other countries.

Research Interests: Memory development, effects of stress on memory; consequences of legal involvement on youth victims and witnesses; development and testing of methods to improve identification of and interventions for high-risk children and adolescents.

 

The Behaviors, Emotions, and Affective Neuroscience Lab (BEAN Lab)

Dr. Elizabeth A. Martin (emartin8@uci.edu)

In the lab, we study emotional and social functioning in individuals along the psychopathology continuum, with a special focus on the psychosis spectrum (e.g., schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, schizotypy, social anhedonia, detachment). In order to gain a clearer understanding of underlying mechanisms of (dys)functioning, we use a multi-method approach and employ a variety of techniques (e.g., self-reports, behavioral tasks, EEG, EMG).

 

Child Narratives Lab (CNL)

Dr. J. Zoe Klemfuss (jklemfus@uci.edu)

Research in the Child Narratives Lab focuses on how social context and individual differences influence children's reports about past events. More specifically, we address questions about how the conditions under which children experience events and the conditions in which they are asked to remember those events influence what and how they recall.  We are also interested in studying how individual differences in cognitive and narrative skills contribute to children's abilities to report about events they've experienced.

 

Development, Disorder, and Delinquency Lab (3D Lab)

Dr. Elizabeth Cauffman (cauffman@uci.edu)

Dr. Elizabeth Cauffman is a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Irvine. Along with her students and staff, her research team focuses on three interrelated concerns:

  1. patterns of normative development in samples of community and delinquent youth
  2. delinquent behavior among youth and the implications for practice and policy
  3. the mental health problems of juvenile offenders

To develop more effective prevention and treatment strategies for youth offenders, we must first understand how individual and environmental factors interact. This understanding can be, and has been, used to inform legal decision-making.

 

Emotion Research Lab

Dr. Susan Turk Charles (scharles@uci.edu)

The primary mission of the emotion and health research lab is to address emotion regulation and well-being across the lifespan in a variety of contexts top optimize successful aging. We also have developed a strong health psychology orientation looking at physiological reactivity to appraised stress, genetic predictors of depression, and a behavioral genetic study of personality traits. Our theoretical orientation is based on Strength and Vulnerability Integration (SAVI). The theory posits that, as people age, they become increasingly adept at employing thoughts and behaviors to mitigate stressful situations (Charles, 2010; Charles & Luong, 2013). When they are not successful, however, the vulnerabilities of aging make it difficult to effectively regulate the higher levels of emotional arousal that ensure. By understanding the circumstances in life that allow older adults to use the strengths of aging, we can predict when age is related to high levels of emotional well-being, and when they will lose their age-related advantages.

 

Evolution, Culture and Stereotyping Lab (EVOCS Lab)

Dr. Oliver Sng (olisng@uci.edu)

In our lab, we conduct psychological research on fundamental questions in social behavior, drawing upon ideas from evolutionary and cultural approaches. 

 

The Health, Relationships, and Intervention Lab (THRIVE Lab)

Dr. Jessica Borelli (jessica.borelli@uci.edu)

This lab aims to investigate the links between close relationships and health, with the goal of designing and testing interventions to improve health via the enhancement of relationships.

 

Hot Cognition Lab

Dr. Peter H. Ditto (phditto@uci.edu)

Our research program has a dual focus. First, we strive to develop, using state-of-the-art empirical methods, a richer theoretical understanding of the role of emotion and motivation in judgment and decision-making processes. Second, we hope to conduct psychological studies that inform contemporary social problems. Because judgments of consequence invariably involve feeling, a full understanding of how people think about politics, medicine, morality, and the law will only come when we appreciate that in decisions that affect our lives most profoundly, passion and reason are inextricably intertwined.

 

Infants, Children, & Families (INCHES) Lab

Dr. Angela Lukowski (alukowsk@uci.edu)

The ability to recall the past is central to human life: it allows us to report on the mundane details of our day ("I had a tuna fish sandwich for lunch") as well as to create a personally meaningful autobiography or history of significant life events ("My life changed the day my daughter was born.") The ability to recall the past is rooted in infancy, although it cannot be studied in the same way as is commonly done with older children and adults. Because infants cannot report on the past using language, researchers study the development of this critical -- and perhaps uniquely human -- characteristic through behavior. The most popular procedure used to study recall memory in infancy and early childhood is known as elicited imitation. Use of this procedure has allowed for extensive research examining basic processes associated with memory development in infancy and early childhood.

What is still unknown, however, is how recall memory in infancy and early childhood are shaped by the social environment within which children are raised. The goal of my research program is to provide this knowledge, allowing for a richer and more contextualized understanding of precisely how recall memory first emerges and operates early in life. We are presently studying how various factors -- from those associated with the individual, such as infant language comprehension -- to those associated with culture, such as infant sleep habits and arrangements -- relate to memory development in the first years of life.

 

Leading Exploration and Analysis in the Psychosis Spectrum (LEAPS) Lab/Psychosis-Risk Evaluation, Intervention and Treatment (PREVENT) Lab

Dr. Jason Schiffman (jeschiff@uci.edu)

Directed by Jason Schiffman, Ph.D., the lab is dedicated to producing meaningful and useful research, providing person-centered clinical services, and training future leaders in psychology.

Dr. Schiffman’s research seeks to refine the identification of young people at risk for psychotic disorders, better understand the effects of psychosocial interventions for adolescents with psychosis, and uncover mechanisms that can reduce stigma against people with serious mental health concerns.

 

Mind-body Pathways in Well-being and Resilience (MPWR) Lab

Dr. Ilona S. Yim (ifederen@uci.edu)

 

Morality, Emotion & Social Hierarchy Lab

Dr. Paul Piff (ppiff@uci.edu)

We study altruism, emotion, social class, and inequality.

 

Psychology of Social Inequality Lab

Dr. Pia Dietze (pdietze@uci.edu)

We examine how an individual’s social class background shapes fundamental aspects of social cognition (e.g., attention, memory). We also investigate the processes that shape how people react and respond to economic inequality. Our focus is on identifying pathways to motivate action against high and rising inequality. In addition, we are interested in examining the psychology of privilege (e.g., gender, race, sexuality, class).

 

Silver Stress and Coping Lab

Dr. Roxane Cohen Silver (rsilver@uci.edu)

The Silver Stress and Coping Lab at the University of California, Irvine is led by Dr. Roxane Cohen Silver. She and her team of post-doctorate, graduate, post-baccalaureate, and undergraduate students are committed to the study of personal and collective traumatic events and their psychological impact on individuals and communities.

 

Stress, Emotion & Physical Health Lab (STEP Lab)

Dr. Sarah Pressman (pressman@uci.edu)

We study positive psychosocial factors (e.g., positive emotions and traits, smiling, positive social factors) that have the possibility of benefiting health via the effects on physiological function, behavior, and detrimental stress processes.

 

Technology and Mental Health Lab (TEAM Lab)

Dr. Stephen Schueller (s.schueller@uci.edu)

Our major focus is on digital mental health interventions and expanding their access to different and diverse settings and populations.

 

Teen Resilience Lab

Dr. Kate Kuhlman (krkuhl@uci.edu)

 

Trauma & Resilience Lab

Dr. Alyson Zalta (azalta@uci.edu)

Led by Dr. Alyson Zalta and housed in the Dept. of Psychological Science at UC Irvine, our lab conducts translational research exploring factors that impact the development of trauma-related psychopathology and intervention strategies aimed at mitigating the impact of trauma. The lab focuses on research that can inform scalable treatment interventions and takes particular interest in working with vulnerable populations, including veterans.

 

Labs Outside of Social Ecology

 

Behavioral Medicine Research Lab

Dr. Michael A. Hoyt (mahoyt@uci.edu)

The Behavioral Medicine Research Lab (BMed Lab) at the University of California, Irvine, conducts innovative research on biobehavioral processes that shape psychological adjustment and coping in the face of chronic disease and health-related adversity, with a particular focus on cancer survivorship.

 

Bayesian Cognitive Modeling Lab

Dr. Michael Lee (mdlee@uci.edu)

We work in four main areas:

  • Modeling human decision making
    • optimization problems (bandit problems, optimal stopping problems, ..) that involve making sequences of decisions under uncertainty in structured environments
    • strategies in decision making, with a focus on environment structure, adaptive strategy use, and individual differences
  • Collective cognition and the wisdom of the crowd
    • using cognitive models to improve wisdom of the crowd performance
    • using cognitive models to extend the types of behavioral data that can be combined across a crowd of people
  • Modeling memory with clinical applications
    • applying models of memory and knowledge representation to detect and understand changes caused by aging and impairment, using real-world clinical data
  • Bayesian statistical methods
    • using graphical models and computational Bayesian methods to improve the development, evaluation and application of cognitive models

 

Bilingualism, Mind, and Brain Lab

Dr. Judith F. Kroll (judith.kroll@uci.edu)

Broadly speaking, the work in our lab asks how the use of two or more languages changes the mind and brain. Our focus is on the ways that language processes engage cognition and its neural basis to create consequences for language learners and bilinguals that are dynamic across the lifespan. Our location in Southern California provides access to a diverse context and culture for bilingualism.

 

Biobehavioral Research on Adolescent Development

Dr. Uma Rao (umar@uci.edu)

The UCI Biobehavioral Research on Adolescent Development (BRoAD) Lab is a collaborative team of scientists, research staff, and students from multiple disciplines at University of California, Irvine. Our aim is to learn more about adolescent development, behavior, and mental and physical health. The Lead Researcher of the BRoAD Lab is Dr. Uma Rao, a professor of Psychiatry & Human Behavior at the UCI School of Medicine and the Director of Education and Research in Psychiatry at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) (see Dr. Rao’s Faculty Profile). All our research studies are supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health.

 

Bruckner Lab

Dr. Tim Bruckner (brucknet@uci.edu)

I examine how population health responds to ambient changes in the environment.  A sampling of ambient changes that interest me include economic downturns, extreme cold, the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the introduction of a casino, and new mental health policies. I typically focus my inquiries on pregnant women and persons with mental disorder, as these two populations appear sensitive to unexpected changes in the environment. I intend for my work to inform basic science, social determinants of health, and health.

 

Cognitive Anteater Robotics Laboratory

Dr. Jeffrey Krichmar (jkrichma@uci.edu)

In the Cognitive Anteater Robotics Laboratory (CARL) at the University of California, Irvine, we are designing robotic systems whose behaviors are guided by large-scale simulations of the mammalian brain. Because these simulated nervous systems are embodied on a robot, they provide a powerful tool for studying brain function. Moreover, because these cognitive robots are embedded in the real-world, the system's behavior and function can be tested similarly to that of an animal under experimental conditions. We have studied perception, operant conditioning, episodic and spatial memory, and motor control through the simulation of brain regions such as the visual cortex, the hippocampus, the cerebellum, and the neuromodulatory systems. The behavior and neuronal dynamics of these systems were directly compared with empirical data from experimental psychology and neuroscience experiments.

 

Cognitive Neuroscience of Sleep Lab

Dr. Eitan Schechtman (eitans@uci.edu)

The Cognitive Neuroscience of Sleep lab (or CogNoS for short) uses neuroimaging, behavioral manipulations, and computational methods to explore memory reactivation during sleep, which broadly impacts cognition, emotion, and health. Exploring the mechanisms through which sleep shapes human behavior requires a multi-disciplinary approach, combining neuroscientific, psychological, and computational methods. Our lab combines novel techniques to selectively bias memory reactivation; machine-learning algorithms to decipher memory-related content from neural data; and neuroscientific methods for monitoring brain connectivity and rhythms in different regions and timescales. Using this state-of-the-art methodological framework, the lab hopes to reveal the neural infrastructure through which sleep transforms memories, and how these dynamics may be harnessed for improving wellbeing in healthy and clinical populations.

 

Computational Cognitive Neuroscience Lab

Dr. Aaron Bornstein (aaron.bornstein@uci.edu)

Our research asks the question: Why do humans make the choices that we do? We are particularly interested in the roles that various kinds of memories – long-term, episodic and semantic memories – serve in allowing people to plan for the future and make sense of the present, and how the use of memory in decision-making shapes what we remember, and when these memories come to mind. Ongoing projects investigate the use of memory in decisions for reward, perceptual inference, substance use, and planning, using computational model-driven analysis of behavior and brain activity.

 

Culture, Relationships & Health Lab

Dr. Belinda Campos (bcampos@uci.edu)

We study factors that promote high quality relationships, with a particular focus on understanding how cultural factors shape relationship experiences in ways that benefit health.

 

Developing Brain Laboratory

Dr. Kristina A. Uban (kuban@uci.edu)

The Developing Brain Lab at UCI aims to expand current biomedical and neurodevelopmental research in human pediatric populations through novel application of public health conceptual models and research strategies to research questions historically examined solely on the level of the individual.  To achieve this, we utilize non-invasive biomarker methods to measure the health of physiological systems underlying brain-body connections in children, adolescents and adults.  We study all topics maternal and child health, yet with a heavy focus on our world’s most prevalent pervasive developmental disorder: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Our research examines: 1) how teratogenicity of prenatal exposures to alcohol and co-occurring substances may intersect established factors that drive Social Determinants of Health (SDoH); 2) lasting alterations in neurophysiological systems following perinatal exposures, particularly neuroendocrine regulation; 3) how we can best intervene upon neurophysiological systems to optimize health outcomes for those impacted by FASD and other prenatal exposures; and 4) how far the FASD spectrum really is by examining neurophysiological outcomes among children and adolescents who have prenatal substance exposure but did not develop a diagnosable FASD. We examine multiple outcomes, including neuroendocrine function, mental health, cognitive function, behavioral regulation, and physiological challenges (sleep, cardiovascular, birth weight, etc.). The guiding aim of our research program is to improve health for those living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, specifically by applying biomarker science to improve our ability to diagnosis & evaluate interventions for FASD.

 

Development of Social Cognition

Dr. Nadia Chernyak (nadia.chernyak@uci.edu)

This lab investigates how we learn to reason about the social world. Within a rapid timeframe, we learn how to interact with others, acquire rules of social behavior, and actively question, change, and position ourselves within our social worlds. The DoSC Lab investigates the remarkable process through which we learn these skills, the core cognitive competencies underlying them, and the developmental trajectories of them.

​Our specific research topics include the development of fairness and prosocial behavior, how we learn from choice and agency, the development of prospection (future-oriented thinking), and how our social contexts and cognitive competencies shape our emerging world views. We typically conduct behavioral studies with young children and adults.

 

Digital Learning Lab

Dr. Mark Warschauer (markw@uci.edu)

The Digital Learning Lab (DLL) was founded by Mark Warschauer to use cutting-edge approaches for better understanding students' learning processes, from pre-school to graduate school, as well as to design and develop new tools and resources to improve digital learning opportunities. The development and diffusion of digital media are transforming the terrain of learning in both higher education and K-12 schools. The use of digital media in education is also dramatically expanding the amount and types of data available to analyze teaching and learning processes.

 

Kim Stress, Coping, and Health in Context Lab

Dr. Jacqueline H. J. Kim (jhjkim@uci.edu)

Our research aims to examine physical and mental health across various contexts, to translate findings to create or enhance psychosocial interventions that promote well-being. Areas of central focus are coping with (advanced/metastatic) cancer, internalizing symptoms with significance for disability/mortality (depressive, physical/somatic, traumatic stress), Asian American or limited English proficiency populations, and the role of trauma or chronic adversity. More broadly, Dr. Kim collaborates on research to improve the health and quality of life for racial/ethnic minority and understudied populations.

 

Latina Perinatal Health Lab

Dr. Isabel F. Almeida (iframos@uci.edu) 

We study the ways in which biological, psychological, and socio-cultural factors interact to influence women’s reproductive health. Our lab is especially interested in studying perinatal processes from preconception through the postpartum period among Latinas living in the U.S. We hope to use this information to improve the well-being of pregnant mothers and their babies. This lab is directed by Dr. Isabel Almeida, Assistant Professor of Chicano/Latino Studies at UCI.

 

Learning & Decision Neuroscience Lab

Dr. Mimi Liljeholm (mliljeho@uci.edu)

Research in the LDN lab addresses how intelligent systems construct and deploy internal models of the world, with a focus on the roles of compositional generalization and intrinsic motivation. Our approach is multipronged, combining experimental psychology with computational cognitive modeling and neuroimaging. Specific topics of interest include causal induction, agency, habitization, and social transmission.

 

MADLAB

Dr. Mark Steyvers (msteyver@uci.edu)

Research Areas

  • Hybrid human-machine algorithm systems
  • Bayesian computational modeling
  • Learning and Memory
  • Cognitive Skill Acquisition and Transfer
  • Metacognition
  • Machine learning

 

Measuring Undergraduate Success Trajectories (MUST Project)

Dr. Richard Arum (rarum@uci.edu)

Our project is a longitudinal study that aims to improve our understanding of the value of undergraduate educational experiences and promote evidence-based models of undergraduate student success. We are tracking a sample of UCI students over two years and gaining information about everything from transcripts, online classroom behavior, living situations, and student moods. The purpose of the study is to capture student experiences inside and outside the classroom and paint a complete portrait of the student experience at UCI. 

 

Memory Attention Perception Laboratory (MAP-Lab)

Dr. Barbara Anne Dosher (bdosher@uci.edu)

The Memory Attention Perception Laboratory (MAP-Lab) studies how humans perceive, attend, learn, and remember information using a combination of behavioral testing and mathematical modeling.

 

mindSPACE Lab

Dr. Alyssa Brewer (aabrewer@uci.edu)

The mindSPACE Lab is dedicated to understanding what gives rise to our perceptual experiences. Our research uses multiple methods to investigate the structure and function of visual, auditory, and multi-sensory cortex in normal, healthy adults and in patients with a variety of neurological disorders and damage. The tools we use for our investigations include neuroimaging techniques, such as structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (s/fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), as well as behavioral/psychophysical measurements, genetic assays, psychopharmacology, mathematical modeling, and surveys.

 

Physiological Optics & Vision (POV) Lab

Dr. Cherlyn Ng (cherlyjn@uci.edu)

Our goal:
To investigate how neural mechanisms in the brain synchronize with visual input from the eyes to facilitate perception.

 

The Reflexion Lab

Dr. Megan Peters (megan.peters@uci.edu)

The Reflexion Lab studies how intelligent systems monitor and model their own knowledge, uncertainty, and experience.

We combine cognitive neuroscience, computational modeling, neuroimaging, artificial intelligence, and philosophy to explain how agents come to know what they know, evaluate and represent their own uncertainty, and build models of the world – and themselves – to guide adaptive behavior.

 

Relational Cognition Lab

Dr. Anna Leshinskaya (aleshins@uci.edu)

Our research tackles fundamental puzzles about how systems of natural and artificial intelligence learn about, remember, and reason with relational structures.  How does the mind encode relations in experience, combine simple concepts to produce infinitely new meanings, and draw analogies across diverse situations? How are these abilities made possible by neural mechanisms in the human brain?  We study these problems jointly in minds, brains and machines using behavior, fMRI,  computational modeling, and neural network interpretability. Most recently, we are using mechanistic interpretability methods to unravel the mechanisms of combinatorial thought and social and moral reasoning in large language models. 

 

RISE (Race, Immigration, & Social/Health Equity) Lab

Dr. Alein Y. Haro-Ramos (ayharo@uci.edu)

The RISE Lab at UC Irvine Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health is dedicated to understanding and addressing health disparities among minoritized and immigrant communities. Our research focuses on the structural, social, and policy factors that shape health outcomes, with an emphasis on health equity.

 

Sleep and Cognition Lab

Dr. Sara Mednick (mednicks@uci.edu)

The Sleep and Cognition (SaC) Lab is interested in understanding who we are as humans by investigating how we form memories. Memories are at the core of our personal and social histories, our perceptions, and our beliefs. By understanding how memories are formed, processed and retained, we can understand how they can be improved, as well as how memory abilities can falter due to aging or disease. We are specifically interested in translational research questions that lead to improving the lives of people with cognitive impairments. To accomplish this work, we utilize electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure brain activity during sleep and wake. We also use pharmacology and brain stimulation during sleep to improve waking performance. In addition, we use signal processing and computational modeling to reveal patterns in the data not available to the naked eye.

 

Science of Learning Lab

Dr. Lindsey Richland (lerich@uci.edu)

The Science of Learning Lab is a collaborative research group that explores the development of human thinking and learning. We investigate the basic mechanisms of children's cognitive development, reasoning skills, and learning in dynamic, complex, everyday settings. We also examine socialization and STEM teaching practices for supporting these developmental pathways. All projects are directed by Dr. Lindsey Richland. 

 

Translational Neuroscience Laboratory

Dr. Michael A. Yassa (myassa@uci.edu)

Our lab focuses on integrative neuroscience research on learning and memory mechanisms with translational applications to education, technology, and clinical disorders.

Our research is as varied as the people who call this lab home. We appreciate life’s quirky side without sacrificing our attention to the life-changing work we passionately pursue.


Visual Perception & Neuroimaging Laboratory

Dr. Emily Grossman (grossman@uci.edu)

We live in a dynamic visual environment in which we must quickly and accurately interpret the events around us. How do we do it?

Our visual system relies strongly on a number of heuristics, combined with more complex computation and filtering to construct the unified perceptual world that we experience every day.

The VPNL uses a combination of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), concurrent TMS and electroencephalography (EEG), and psychophysical techniques to isolate the neural correlates of visual perception.

 

Visual Perception (ViPER) Laboratory

Dr. Zygmunt Pizlo (zpizlo@uci.edu)

Our group is studying mental mechanisms (algorithms) involved in cognitive functions. More precisely, we study those cognitive functions that are computationally difficult. A cognitive function is computationally difficult if there is currently no algorithm that can perform this function equally well as the human mind does. This definition includes a lot: perception of shape, motion, color, depth, language understanding, speech recognition, reading, motor control, visuomotor coordination, learning, thinking, problem solving. By studying computationally difficult cognitive functions, we hope to contribute to both: psychology, by understanding cognitive mechanisms, and artificial intelligence, by formulating smart algorithms.

 

Voices for Community Health Equity and New Systems and System Changes (VoiCES) Lab

Dr. Alana LeBron (alebron@uci.edu)

Our lab focuses on health equity and health justice projects and uses mixed methods research and a Community-Based Participatory Research (CPBR) approach. Through the lab, students participate in immersive public health research experience, engaging directly with faculty, research staff, community health organizations, and study participants.

Our research lab leverages qualitative research methods and mixed methods to uncover and communicate the stories and lessons from our work with underserved communities. Through qualitative research, we amplify voices and highlight the complexities of lived experiences, fostering greater empathy and understanding. By closely examining the narratives, experiences, and insights of individuals within these communities, we can gain a deeper understanding of their challenges and triumphs.