Research

Regulation of Emotion and Sleep Extension post TBI Project

Following a mTBI (also known as a concussion), individuals often report issues of emotion regulation - they feel irritable, anxious, depressed, more easily frustrated, etc. In addition, they report issues with sleep, including trouble falling or staying asleep, having restless sleep, or feeling generally fatigued. Given that sleep can also affect our abilities to regulate emotion, this study seeks to examine the relationship between sleep, emotion regulation and mTBI. 

We are currently recruiting participants between the ages of 18-35 years of age. For more information email: ConcussionResearch@merrimack.edu

IMPairment of Affective Cognition post TBI

Following a mTBI (also known as a concussion), individuals often report issues of emotion regulation - they feel irritable, anxious, depressed, more easily frustrated, etc. However the mechanism by which mTBI can also emotion regulation is not well understood. This study seeks to examine the neurophysiological underpinnings of emotion dysregulation following a mTBI.

We are currently recruiting participants between the ages of 18-35 years of age. For more information email: ConcussionResearch@merrimack.edu

INvestigation of Slow Paced Inhalation for the Regulation of Emotion

Slow-paced breathing, or the deliberate slowing of inhalation and exhalation, has been shown to alter the body's stress response. Slow-paced breathing activates the vagus nerve, and increases parasympathetic nervous system activation (which counters the fight, flee, or freeze response). The aims of this study are to examine whether slow-paced breathing could be an effective technique to acutely improve emotion regulation. 

We are currently recruiting participants between the ages of 18-35 years of age. For more information email: INSPIRE@merrimack.edu

BEhavior, sTerepType, and pERformance Projects

These projects are broadly interested in motivation and performance. Motivation is our drive, our passion, our reason to exert effort and achieve something. Most of the things we do have an end goal, whether it is to get an “A” in the class, be a good person, take out the trash, etc. These projects are interested in what motivates us — what drives us to act one way versus another way in order to achieve a goal — and why and how certain aspects of a situation influence us while others do not. 

In another line of research, projects examine the effects of implicit biases and stereotypes, specifically in how biases impact our behaviors.

This research is part of the Behavioral, Stereotype, and Performance (BETTER) Lab at Merrimack College. Please email seitchika@merrimack.edu for more info or to participate in studies.

Eye tracking during a shooter decision-making task

A series of studies tracks eye movements while completing a shooter task where individuals shoot an armed target.

This research is part of the Behavioral, Stereotype, and Performance (BETTER) Lab at Merrimack College. Please email seitchika@merrimack.edu for more info or to participate in studies.

Athlete Mental health Program

College athletes must juggle packed schedules, academic responsibilities, and sports-specific demands, which may make them more susceptible to certain mental health issues as compared with the general population. Athletes also have an increased risk of mental disorders upon retirement from sports if their identity is closely tied to being an athlete. This study aims to develop a comprehensive mental health program for athletes that fosters athlete well-being and mental health as well as promotes social support by having coaches, staff, and the athletes themselves understand early warning signs, destigmatize reporting, and develop and grow one’s identity outside of athletics. 

This research is part of the Behavioral, Stereotype, and Performance (BETTER) Lab at Merrimack College in collaboration with Drs. Michael Corcoran and Christine Shaw. Please email amhs@merrimack.edu  for more info or to participate in this study.

Anxiety SLeep Extension and Emotion Perception Project

Anxiety and sleep have a bidirectional relationship - anxiety makes it harder to sleep, and sleep can help you manage your symptoms of anxiety. This research examines how sleep can impact the way those with and without anxiety perceive, respond to, and remember emotional information. 

This research is part of the Learning, Memory and Sleep (LUMOS) Lab at Merrimack College.

Memory Instructions and Nocturnal Direction Project

Sleep improves memory, but can sleep also improve forgetting? Forgetting is a necessary and integral part of our brain's healthy functioning. This line of research examines the role of sleep in helping the brain identify not only the important information to remember for the future, but also the unimportant things that can, and should, be forgotten. 

We are currently recruiting participants between the ages of 18-35 years of age AND between 65-85 years of age for this study. For more information email: MIND@merrimack.edu.

This research is part of the Learning, Memory and Sleep (LUMOS) Lab at Merrimack College.