Welcome to the Motivation & Adaptive Thinking Lab!

We examine individuals' cognitions, emotions, and motivation that are involved in the process of managing important setbacks. Setbacks are experienced across the lifespan and arguably in every venue of life. If handled poorly, setbacks can obstruct learning processes, cause harmful rumination, and goal resignation. However, if handled well, setbacks can lead to developing adaptive coping skills, opportunities to build character, and team cohesion. We explore the contextually rich human experience of a setback or important life event, by considering the motivational processes involved, such as perceived value, control, and emotions, and other environmental and personality factors. 

A goal of the lab is to help individuals learn how to adaptively cope with challenges via psychosocial interventions. We consider a variety of populations (university students, athletes, older adults) and settings (e.g., education, sport, health) to examine how cognitive processes impact motivation, psychosocial wellbeing, and behaviour.