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.
Truly honored to celebrate the #inauguration of Penn’s 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
New work in Assessment led by grad student, Sam Perlstein, showing the utility of the Sensitivity to Threat and Affiliative Reward Scale (STARS) for understanding risk for psychopathology ⭐️⭐️⭐️
EDEN Lab Team = best in the world #teamscience #clinicalpsychology #upenn
Thank you to the @penngazette for featuring our work exploring how the pandemic has impacted the perinatal period and the experience of pregnant and birthing individuals, as well as the particular challenges faced by Black communities during this time because of existing structural inequities #covid_19 #pandemic #syndemic
New work from the @upennedenlab led by the incredible Dr Rista Plate, a MindCORE postdoctoral fellow. We show that friendly vs mean laughter is easily distinguished&people want to join in more with friendly laughs, but those higher on psychopathic traits are worse at recognizing & responding correctly to laughter cues. Link to paper in the Journal of Personality ⬇️
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34714936/
See our new work in Health Affairs, led by Dr Sara Kornfield, showing how different risk and resilience factors, including worries and stress from the pandemic, are related to risk for postpartum depression and impaired infant-mother bonding. Bottom line: we need to do more to support the mental health of moms beginning in pregnancy, and especially in the context of additional stressors (eg global pandemic, adverse childhood experiences) #womenshealth #pregnancy #clinicalpsychology #psychiatry #motherhood #postpartumdepression #parenting
https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/abs/10.1377/hlthaff.2021.00803
So thrilled to read this profile of our fabulous research coordinator, Yuheiry Rodriguez, as part of an alumni focus by Temple University. Nothing happens in the EDEN Lab without Yuheiry’s work, dedication, and calmness! https://liberalarts.temple.edu/news/2021/10/alumni-spotlight-yuheiry-rodriguez
#clinicalpsychology #psychology #developmentalpsychology #child #childdevelopment
Congrats to super ⭐️ graduate student, Samantha Perlstein, for her new paper out in Research on Child & Adolescent Psychopathology. Youth high on CU traits show blunted respiratory sinus arrhythmia across 3 parent-child social tasks. Great collab with @base_lab_bu #clinicalpsychology #callousunemotional #conductdisorder #physiology #respiration #socialaffiliation