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.
✨EDEN Star Feature of the Week: Emily Perkins ✨
A huge shout-out to one of our EDEN Lab post-docs, Emily Perkins, for her fantastic MindCORE seminar given today! Her presentation featured the integration of novel biopsychosocial methodology in a variety of clinical and legal settings, highlighting the promise of a multi-disciplinary approach in understanding both the development and prevention of conduct problems across the lifespan.
✨EDEN Star Feature of the Week: Jojo Milan-Howells ✨
A round of applause for Jojo, one of our amazing undergraduate research assistants, who was officially certified for the role of Tech Assistant for the Promoting Affiliation & Empathy in Relationships (PEAR) study this week! 👏
✨EDEN Star Feature of the Week: Dr. Rebecca Waller✨
Congratulations to our wonderful PI, Dr. Rebecca Waller, for her talk “What Can Callous-Unemotional Traits in Early Childhood Tell Us About Preventing and Treating Antisocial Behavior Across the Lifespan?” given at the University of Santiago de Compostela this week!
✨EDEN Star Feature of the Week: Alexis Broussard✨
A special shout-out to our new (and also returning) EDEN lab member, Alexis! After graduating from UPenn in 2020 with a B.A. in psychology (completed with an honors thesis under Dr. Waller’s mentorship), Alexis joined Dr. Dylan Gee’s Clinical Affective Neuroscience and Development Lab at Yale as a clinical research coordinator. Now, returning to the EDEN lab as a clinical psychology graduate student, Alexis plans to continue investigating the developmental correlates of callous-unemotional traits in the hopes of leveraging this knowledge to inform interventions for children and families.
We are so lucky to have her back as a part of the EDEN family 🥰
Click the link in our story to find out if you are eligible for our online study!
https://upennedenlab.com/take-part-in-our-research/
A huge shout-out to one of our post-docs, Emily Perkins, for her fantastic MindCORE seminar given today! Her presentation featured the promise of a multi-disciplinary approach in understanding both the development and prevention of conduct problems across the lifespan.
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