WE ARE CURRENTLY SEEKING ELIGIBLE VOLUNTEERS TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR ONGOING RESEARCH STUDIES. EACH OF OUR STUDIES PROVIDES COMPENSATION FOR YOUR TIME AND EFFORT.

Using Neural Stimulation to Reduce Psychotic Symptoms and Improve Social Functioning in Schizophrenia

The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship between psychotic symptoms and social functioning in individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Our goal is to determine whether stimulating the brain using transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) can improve psychotic symptoms and daily functioning.

Schizophrenia International Research Society Social Cognition Harmonization Award

Social cognition is highly relevant for day-to-day functioning and is widely studied. However, harmonization is significantly limited by current measurement approaches, which often ignore the potential influence of culture and utilize a wide variety of tasks, many of which may not be psychometrically sound across cultures. With this award, we hope to develop a unified, cross-culturally valid approach to social cognitive research that will facilitate comparison of results across studies and ultimately contribute to treatment development and evaluation.

See more information on this project.

Introspective Accuracy, Bias, and Everyday Functioning in Mild Cognitive Impairment

The purpose of this study is to further our knowledge about how individuals with mild cognitive impairment evaluate their own abilities and skills. Our goal is to determine whether symptoms impact how individuals rate their own abilities and whether judgments of abilities affect daily functioning.

RECENTLY COMPLETED STUDIES

Improving Visual Attention to Social Stimuli in Individuals with Schizophrenia

The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship between visual attention and social cognition in individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Our goal is to determine whether stimulating the brain using transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) can improve visual attention and performance on social cognitive tasks.

Participants will complete several computerized tasks that involve looking at pictures or watching videos and answering questions about them. During these tasks, eye-tracking technology will be used to identify which parts of the screen individuals are looking at while they are completing these tasks. Approximately 90 adults with schizophrenia spectrum disorders will be recruited for this study.

Social and Emotional Awareness Study (SEAS)

The purpose of this study is to increase our knowledge of how people understand their own feelings and how this ability may impact how they perceive what others do, say, or think. Our goal is to determine what personality traits are associated with being better at thinking about others. Approximately 150 adults will be recruited for this study.

Rate that Face! — A Study to Improve Measurement of Emotion Recognition Ability (RTF)

This is a web-based study that examines how individuals judge the emotional expressions of others and how accuracy in these judgments may affect real-world functioning. Approximately 3000 adults will be recruited for this study.

If you are interested in volunteering for one of our studies, please fill out our form and provide us with some basic information.

Investigating Neural Processing of Social Stimuli (PSL/PSE)

The PSL and PSE studies examine neural correlates of psychiatric symptoms using separate longitudinal and experimental designs.

Using the RDOC approach to examine psychiatric symptoms across diagnoses, the PSL study will follow approximately 65 adults receiving outpatient treatment for a DSM-5 diagnosis to track changes in symptoms over time. A subset of these individuals will be asked to participate in neuroimaging to examine brain systems that may correspond to changing symptoms.

The PSE study uses neuroimaging to examine brain systems involved in the expression of sub-clinical symptoms in adults without any psychiatric diagnoses. Approximately 65 adults will be recruited for this study.

Stimulating the Social Brain

The purpose of this study is to further our knowledge about how individuals process social stimuli. Our goal is to determine whether stimulating the brain using transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) affects the way people think about themselves and others. Approximately 40 adults will be recruited for this study.

Stimulating the Brain to Improve Self-Awareness

The purpose of this study is to further our knowledge about how individuals with mental health diagnoses evaluate their own abilities and skills. Our goal is to determine whether stimulating the brain using transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) can improve the accuracy with which people judge their abilities. Approximately 40 adults with a schizophrenia spectrum illness will be recruited for this study.

Social Cognition Psychometric Evaluation in an Undergraduate Population (SCOPE-UG)

The purpose of this study is to further our knowledge about how individuals think about social information and other people. Our goal is to determine which tests best measure these abilities and to develop these tests to be used in treatment studies. Approximately 200 adults will be recruited for this study.

Functioning and Introspective Accuracy in Severe Mental Illness (FIA)

The FIA Project utilizes neuroimaging to examine brain systems involved in introspective accuracy (IA), the self-assessment of abilities and capabilities. This project also aims to understand how impairments in IA relate to real-world functioning. Approximately 30 adults with schizophrenia and 30 adults without any psychiatric diagnoses will participate in the Study. Pinkham, A. E., Klein, H. S., Hardaway, G. B., Kemp, K. C., & Harvey, P. D. (2018). Neural correlates of social cognitive introspective accuracy in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia research.

Body Perception in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

The Body Perception study examines how adults with schizophrenia spectrum disorders utilize the human body to inform social judgments. Approximately 45 adults with schizophrenia and 45 adults without any psychiatric diagnoses will participate. Analyses for this study are underway.