Research
Students studying psychology use scientific methods to investigate how people think, behave, and interact with others. They examine how social situations, cognitive factors, education systems, culture, and myriad other factors influence human thought, behavior, health, and well-being.
Research opportunities within the program are wide-ranging. Recent focus areas have social psychology, mental health, health psychology, neuroscience, and learning science. Faculty and student researchers use various methods to answer their research questions including surveys, experiments, psychophysiological measures, and eye tracking. They also work on collaborative teams across program and departments both at WPI and beyond.
WPI's Psychology Research Laboratories
The Psychology Program's research labs represent a hub of interdisciplinary psychological science utilizing multiple methodological approaches to answer pressing questions at the intersection of psychological science and real-world priorities. Students engage in hands-on research at all steps of the research project, working with faculty and peers to accomplish bold research goals. Read about our six on-campus research labs below:
Creativity, Education, Affect, and Reasoning (CEDAR) Lab (Shaw)
The CEDAR Lab conducts research on creative and flexible thinking in mathematics, reasoning of complex concepts, “aha” moments, and how student experiences shape thinking and learning in mathematics and statistics education. Our lab uses experimental methods, observational data, learning analytics, and qualitative methodologies in an effort to better understand teaching and learning in STEM subjects. www.cedarlab.org
Emotional, Cognitive, Environmental, and Affiliative Networks (EmoCEAN) of Mental Health Lab (Schneider)
The EmoCEAN lab examines the internal, interpersonal, and environmental factors that shape mental health and wellbeing. Research focuses on topics such as college student mental health, help-seeking behaviors, perfectionism, and the relationship between nature exposure and psychological wellbeing, using a range of human-participant research methods, including mixed-methods study designs. Grounded in an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) framework, the lab seeks to better understand how individuals can maintain movement toward their values and personal goals despite experiencing distressing thoughts, emotions, and external stressors. Through this work, the lab aims to identify processes that support wellbeing/flourishing, resilience, and positive mental health outcomes.
Math, Abstraction, Play, Learning, and Embodiment (MAPLE) Lab (Ottmar)
Teaching and learning mathematics is a highly complex social, exploratory, and creative process. In the MAPLE Lab, we design novel dynamic technologies that make “math come alive” (Graspable Math, From Here to There!) and use log files from these technologies to explore the coordination of attention, cognition, gestures, and strategies when solving mathematical equations. We also use a variety of applied multilevel quantitative methods, observational measures, and assessments to examine the efficacy of instructional, social, and emotional classroom interventions that can improve K-12 math teaching, learning, and engagement.
Social Psychology Inquiry (SPI) Lab (Skorinko)
The Social Psychology Inquiry (SPI) Lab supports a variety of methodologies for conducting human participant research—particularly social psychological experiments. The emphasis is on research that examines how environmental factors influence attitudes, decisions, interactions, and cultural understanding. We also collaborate with colleagues in computer science and robotics to investigate assistive technologies.
Social Neuroscience of Affective Processes (SNAP) Lab (Lopez)
The SNAP Lab utilizes psychological theories, brain imaging techniques (e.g., fMRI), and longitudinal modeling of behavior to better understand how human beings align their thoughts and emotions with goals they are pursuing—with the broader aim of enhancing health and wellbeing.
Stigma, Eating, and Endocrinology Dynamics (SEED) Lab (Rodriguez)
The SEED Lab studies health and health behaviors from a biopsychosocial perspective. SEED Lab research explores the intersection of psychological factors (like stress and health behaviors), biological factors (like cortisol and inflammation), and social factors (like weight stigma), and the bidirectional – and even cyclical – relationships among these factors. Core areas of focus include eating and exercise, weight and adiposity, stigma and discrimination, pregnancy and maternal health, and chronic pain.