Welcome to the EDEN Lab in the Department of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania
Our mission is to study individual differences in the development of the social, emotional, and behavioral skills that underpin a successful, healthy, and happy life. We study what causes people to differ in these skills through a multi-method and multi-level approach. We study genetic influences, brain function and structure, physiology, attention, and temperament, as well as parenting, community, school factors and broader, structural influences of society and culture. We seek to inform intervention and treatment approaches to improve the well-being of children and families.
Our Research
Understanding Risk for Antisocial Behavior
Antisocial behavior refers to aggression, rule-breaking, theft, violence, crime, and substance use.It is extremely costly in terms of the harm caused to individuals (e.g., victims and families) and communities (e.g., schools and neighborhoods), as well as to society through financial burdens associated with healthcare and justice services.
Characterizing Social Affiliation
Social affiliation refers to the need for social and emotional closeness with others. It derives from a secure attachment with a caregiver in infancy and underpins effective social bonding and relationship formation across the lifespan. Within a personality framework, social affiliation is captured within measures of agreeableness, warmth, and communion.
A Lifespan Approach to Studying Mental Health
We believe in a lifespan and holistic approach to mental health well-being that traverses the care and services that are currently provided to both mothers and children. We study risk and resilience processes that influence psychopathology during pregnancy, through the delivery and the early postpartum period, and into the first few years of life.
Looking For Parent Resources?
Coping with disruptive behaviors in children, including aggression, defiance, argumentativeness, and rule-breaking, can be incredibly difficult. We understand the challenges facing parents and families dealing with these types of behavior problems. Many decades of research have established effective strategies that parents can use to better manage child behavior and reduce stress in the family. There are also established gold-standard interventions and treatments when children are diagnosed with clinically-significant behavior problems, including conduct disorder or oppositional defiant disorder. Please see our Parent Resources for more information about disruptive behavior disorders in children, parent strategies for dealing with difficult child behavior, and information on current diagnosis and treatment options.
Yael Paz is a Post-doctoral Researcher from Israel whose research interests involve how features of affiliation explain risk for various types of psychopathology.
Rista Plate is a Post-doctoral Researcher at the EDEN Lab. She completed her PhD in Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and her research focuses on how children use statistical information to make sense of their social environments.
Introducing the Director of the EDEN Lab, Dr. Rebecca Waller! Stay tuned to meet everyone else at the lab throughout the next week. π
The EDEN Lab had a very special visitor yesterday! Dr. Waller and her daughter helped us test out our BioPac and eye-tracking setup before the launch of our Promoting Empathy and Affiliation in Relationships (PEAR) Study. Physiological (e.g., heart rate, skin conductance) and eye-tracking data provide useful information about how children learn about and experience emotion, as well as how to promote healthy parent-child relationships. ππ«π§πΌπ€±π»
New work out this week in JCPP from EDEN Lab and led by graduate student, Samantha Perlstein is a meta-analysis of 60 treatment studies showing that children with high callous-unemotional traits benefit from standard treatments for disruptive behavior problems, with parenting-focused treatments having the most effect. However callous-unemotional traits are associated with worse outcomes and we urgently need adapted and adjunctive treatment modules. #clinicalpsychology #callousunemotional #conductdisorder #disruptivebehavior #oppositionaldefiantdisorder #parenting
EDEN Lab holiday party combining some old and new traditions ππβ€οΈππ» #teamscience #bestteam #psychology #clinicalpsychology
So incredibly proud of Yuheiry Rodriguez, Senior Research Coordinator for the @pennedenlab, who received the Silver Staff Recognition Award from the School of Arts and Sciences @uofpenn πΎπΎπΎπππ
Truly honored to celebrate the #inauguration of Pennβs new President, Liz Magill on this beautiful fall day, which included a moving ceremony evoking the spirit of Ben Franklin, Sheryl Crow, & Supreme Court Associate Justice Elena Kagan in illuminating conversation! @uofpenn
We are looking for someone to join our team in early June as a full-time psychology research assistant @BradleyHospital @BrownPsychiatry. Ideal for someone looking to pursue a PhD in child clinical psychology and passionate about working with children
That time when you're searching key terms to prep for #SRCD2023, read a title and get excited, and then quickly realize it's your postdoc's talk π Don't miss @NilaShakiba's presentation on Friday at 12:30!
Getting excited for #SRCD23! If youβre interested in neighborhood crime exposure, early externalizing behaviors, neonatal fMRI, or observed parenting behaviors, consider stopping by my poster to hear some NEW findings! @SRCDtweets