Projects

We are launching a new study to understand how life experiences and family mental health relate to brain activity in young adulthood. We are recruiting 300 participants between the ages of 18 and 30, including both Western students through SONA and adults from the community. Participation involves completing an online questionnaire about family mental health, life experiences, and the quality of relationships. Participants then visit our lab, where their brain activity is measured while they complete computer tasks that involve looking at pictures, making decisions, and earning money.

We are launching a new study to better understand how family experiences relate to mothers’ and infants’ brain activity and their everyday interactions. We will recruit 100 mothers and their 7- to 12-month-old infants from a range of educational and income backgrounds. Mothers will complete an online interview and questionnaires about stressful experiences and mental health. Mothers and infants will then visit our lab, where we will measure their brain activity while they complete tasks together, collect hair samples to assess stress hormones, and learn about how they interact with each other. This research is funded by Western University’s Agnes Cole Dark Research Fund and an SSHRC Catalyst Grant.