Stephen B
- Research Program Mentor
PhD Doctor of Philosophy
Expertise
Psychology, Neuroscience, Statistics, Music, Philosophy of Science
Project ideas
Synchrony, Stress, and Psychology
Can stress be unconsciously transmitted between people while they engage in a social interaction? In this project, we will investigate this question in the context of the parent-infant relationship to better understand how both the parent and child co-regulate each other's stress via physiological synchrony. We will use advanced statistical methods to model the dynamic patterns of reciprocal physiological activity between the parent and child. More generally, we will also examine the neuroscience of stress and how it affects psychological and brain development to impact cognition, emotion, and health.
Mechanisms of Music and the Mind
Everyone knows that music can dramatically affect how we think and feel. But how does this happen? Are there specific features or aspects of sound that influence our brain and psychology? In this project, we will examine some of the mechanisms linking music and the mind, and explore how we might use these mechanisms to support psychological functioning and well-being. This project will require a deep dive into research on the physics and psychophysics of sound, as well as the neuroscience and psychology of emotion and cognition.