Funded by grants from the National Institute of Aging, research in the lab currently focuses primarily on two major projects: a study of emotion and normative aging, and a study of the impact of neurodegenerative diseases on emotional functioning.

Age and Emotion

Long-Term Married Couples Study (DUO)

The centerpiece of this research has been an ongoing longitudinal study of a large sample of long-term first marriages in middle and old age. This work uses an observational methodology in which couples come to the laboratory and engage in naturalistic discussions about important topics related to their relationship. These interactions are studied to determine if there are signs in emotional experience, behavior, language, and physiology that can be used to discriminate between the interactions of couples who are satisfied and dissatisfied with their relationships, to discriminate between couples at different stages of the life span, and to predict what will happen to the level of couples' relationship satisfaction over time.

The other focus of this work is to learn about normative changes in emotion that occur with age. Here, emotional reactivity, emotional regulation, and emotional knowledge/understanding are assessed in the laboratory in participants at different ages (cross-sectionally and longitudinally) to determine how human emotions change as we age. Unlike many other aspects of human functioning which show pronounced declines with age (e.g., memory, psychomotor skills), certain aspects of emotional functioning appear to be relatively spared as we age, and some even show signs of continuing improvement and positive development in late life.

Empathy and Aging Study

Being able to understand and respond to other people's mental and affective states is a critical part of what makes us human. Researchers have noted that different theoretical perspectives offer different predictions for age differences in the multidimensional construct of empathy. While neuropsychological perspectives generally predict age-related decline in the ability to process the emotions of others, socioemotional perspectives predict that certain aspects of empathy should be well preserved, and may even improve, in normal adult aging. Using a cross-sectional sample of young, middle-aged, and older adults, the present study examines whether these two perspectives may be applied to predict different patterns of age differences in empathy-related processes (as measured by subjective, behavioral, and physiological indices). Data collection is complete and analyses ongoing.

Emotion in Neurodegenerative Disorders

Our research in this area is part of an ongoing collaboration with the Memory and Aging Center (MAC) at the University of California, San Francisco.

Emotional reactivity, regulation, and comprehension in dementia

Dementia, particularly frontotemporal dementia, can lead to impairments in social and emotional functioning; such changes are often misunderstood and accurate diagnosis can be difficult, particularly in the early stages of the illness. Using a wide array of dynamic stimuli, we apply a fine-grained socioemotional assessment to identify domains of loss and preservation in frontotemporal dementia and related illnesses, such as Alzheimer's disease. Measures include behavioral, autonomic, and experiential indicators, during tasks that cover a spectrum of functioning, from basic emotional reactivity, to empathy and emotion regulation, to complex social interactions. In addition, we examine relationships between these lab-based measures and biological markers. Through this multi-method, interdisciplinary work that spans psychology, neurology, and affective neuroscience, we aim to contribute to improvements in clinical diagnosis and care, as well as to basic understanding of socioemotional functioning and aging.

Pseudobulbar Affect in Non-Demented ALS (PANDA)

Pseudobulbar affect (PBA) is a neurological symptom characterized by uncontrollable outbursts of laughing and/or crying. PBA occurs in number of neurological disorders, most prominently in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS; also known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease”), a degenerative neurological disease with a usual survival of 2-5 years. Historically, PBA has been depicted as unpredictable and reflexive, with clear-cut expressive displays present but little subjective emotional experience. However, PBA has rarely been studied under laboratory conditions.