In the Neuroscience of Cognition and Emotion Lab at Wofford College, our research lies at the intersection of Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.

Emotion, Attention, Perception and Memory

Emotional content influences many of the things that we remember from day to day. Our research focuses on how differences in perceptual attention when we first experience emotional information may influence what details are later remembered. For example, if you see a car accident on the side of the road, the information that catches your attention may influence what you later remember. We utilize the methods of cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience to help to understand how emotion influences attention and memory at the behavioral and neural level.

To address these questions we combine behavioral testing, electrophysiology analyses, hormonal assays, and functional neuroimaging to examine both the cognitive and neural processes that guide attention toward, and memory for, emotional information.

The Effects of Stress and Anxiety on Emotional Memory

Our lab is also interested in discovering how physiological stress influences emotional memory. This research has implications for disorders where emotional memory goes awry.  People in stressful situations, individuals with higher levels of anxiety, and individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often process emotional information in a fundamentally different manner. We study how hormonal and physiological changes may impact changes in emotional processing and memory.