Project Description (11)
Psychobiology of Attention and Social Stress
Study Description
One lab study currently in progress investigates the role of social stress in the development of automatic attentional processes directed towards threatening stimuli, and the possible bidirectional relationship between stress and attentional biases. Biological and physiological processes, including activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and release of neuroendocrine hormones such as cortisol, have been tied to the “fight-or-flight” response involved in aiding humans’ ability to overcome or avoid environmental stressors, and past research has found these processes to be altered in individuals exposed to chronic life stress as well as those suffering from various psychological disorders, including depression and anxiety. As such, neuroendocrine markers of hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis activation as well as cardiovascular functioning are being used in addition to behavioral data in order to better understand how underlying neuropsychological, emotion regulation, and coping mechanisms may account for psychological and health related outcomes in individuals exposed to chronic stress during development.
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