Research Projects
Active Projects
(we are actively recruiting, testing or data processing)
BRIDGE Project
- BRIDGE aims to examine measures outside the standard clinical
batteries that help us better understand conditions labeled as ASD and ADHD. Ultimately, we aim not to replace standard clinical assessment but to complement it with different sources of information that may improve early identification, individualized support, and understanding of everyday functioning. This may include biometrics (e.g., EEG, eye tracking), contemporary experiences (social media, AI use), and other less-researched behaviors (play, relationships). - Project managers:
-Jacob Brooks (Attention and reward processing)
-Lida Ehteshami (Emotion recognition)
-Valeria Guerra Leal (Gaming)
-Yixuan Sun (Social media)
Transfer Project
- Using experiment to examine how learners transfer knowledge across domains—for example, applying mathematical principles to solve problems in physics. It also investigates individual and instructional factors that may shape this process, including personality traits, learning strategies, and creativity.
- In addition to experimental data, we also conduct meta analytical
studies re-examining the effectiveness of various interventions
through the lens of transfer frameworks, as well as what moderates transfer. - Project managers:
– Minchao Wang [Experimental]
– Jacob Robbins [Meta]
– Jayant Palkar [Meta]
Reading and Biometrics
- This project examines neural and eye-tracking correlates of language learning. We use sophisticated experimental designs and analyses to examine the neural and eye tracking correlates of attention and comprehension to better understand beginner readers as well as second language learners.
- One study focuses on biomarkers in children with reading difficulties, whereas another focuses exclusively on naturalistic vocabulary learning in second language learners using eye
tracking. - Project managers:
– Juan Quinonez (reading difficulty)
– Saeedeh Pazoki (second language learners)
Play Project
- Examine parents’ tolerance of risky play behaviors during early childhood (ages 1-5-years-old), with a specific focus in rough-and-tumble play perspectives.
- In collaboration with Becky Gates Children’s Center for data collection.
- Examine the attitudes of parents of children with developmental
disabilities with regards to play. - Project managers:
– Paige Williams
– Matthew Klein
SOCRATIC AI and Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is notoriously hard to teach. In part because critical thinking requires individualized feedback on the process of
thought. Can socratic AI, able to provide frequent and high-quality individualized feedback, stimulate critical thinking? In addition, we also examine how AI tutors can benefit the transfer of learning.
Project managers:
– Sean Kao
– Patricia Grant
Archived projects
(Key manuscripts published and/or submitted. We still publish from these data)
ASD Project
- Examines emotion recognition ability from body and faces using eye-tracking in subjects with autism spectrum disorder.
- Project manager: Christopher Prickett
Antisocial Behavior Project
- Examines the characterization and treatment of child problem behaviors using physiological and behavioral measures.
- Datasets from the University of Toronto
- Project manager: Steven Woltering
ADHD Project
- Examines the characterization and treatment of ADHD using the working memory intervention program using neural and behavioral measures.
- Datasets from the University of Toronto
- Project manager: Steven Woltering
Pain Project
- Examines the relation between pain, emotion regulation, and beliefs of injustice in a pediatric pain sample.
- Project manager: Megan Nguyen
Math Project
- Examines the role of emotion regulation at neural and behavioral levels during a math task.
- Project manager: Mahati Kopparla
Stress Project
- Examines physiological correlates of social and cognitive stressors in a sample of college students high in anxiety and whether these measures change with a biofeedback/mindfulness intervention.
- Project manager: Brenna Lin
Sleep Project
- Examines the physiological correlates of sleep in patients with mild cognitive impairments and relates them to executive functions and memory function.
- Project manager: Yajun (Mia) Jia
Impulsivity Project
- Examines neural correlates of self-regulation in obese adolescents.
- Project manager: Siqi Chen
The Grifted Project
- Schools have a reputation of being the best route to “success”; unfortunately, this is not the case for many urban high school students. Houston ISD is the 7th largest school district in the United States, with a demographic breakdown of 91% minority and 80% economically disadvantaged.
- The Grifted Project aims to collect qualitative data on the experiences of students attending urban Houston schools, specifically, on the topic of academic goal valuation. Given the underrepresentation of such students in the research literature, these experiences might be the key to revealing unexplored contextual factors contributing to the historic achievement gap between poor minority students and their counterparts.
- Project manager: Christine Richie
- Vistit the project Facebook page for more information
LIMO Project
- Examines the relation between emotion regulation and literacy development in early problematic readers using physiological and behavioral measures.
- Project manager: Qinxin Shi (and co-manager Linda Sun)
Insight Project
- Examines skin conductance correlates of moments of insight.
- Collaboration with the Department of Engineering and the University of Florida.
- Project manager: Beth Nam
Virtual reality, stress, and self-regulation
- This project examined self-regulation, emotion regulation (ER), and
team co-regulation (CR) among 4th-year medical students during
Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) training using VR simulations.Project manager:
– Kevin Lawanto