In the Spark Lab, we study many different processes relating to social perception. This page highlights two main projects we are currently working on and have worked on in the past. We are additionally interested in dynamic links between people’s motivations, changes in social processes across women’s menstrual cycles, and connections between stress and inflammation.
Motivation: Pathogen Avoidance
A lot of the research conducted in the Spark Lab is focusing on people’s motivation to avoid pathogens. When people are concerned about their health, either consciously or unconsciously, they tend to engage in psychological processes that help them avoid getting sick. In our lab, we are currently investigating the role of disgust and other emotions, as well as factors of both the person (e.g., chronic health concerns) and the situation (e.g., immediate health concerns because it’s the flu season), that influence the association between pathogen avoidance motives and social perception.
Underlying Biology: Inflammation
We are interested in connecting the changes in social behavior that are linked to pathogen avoidance motives to people’s immune system processes. We largely look at inflammation, specifically by measuring changes in levels of cytokines (proteins secreted by white blood cells) while people are undergoing social situations in the lab. Most often, we examine changes in interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-1b (IL-1b).
Motivation: Parenthood
In the Summer of 2021 (delayed due to COVID-19), we started the Transition to Parenthood study examining how hormonal changes during this critical transition period influence people’s perceptions of themselves and their spouse.
Underlying Biology: Hormones
Many hormones change in predictable ways during pregnancy. Women experience an increase in many hormones, including progesterone. Men generally experience a decrease in testosterone levels. We want to connect increases, decreases, and momentary fluctuations of different hormones to the ways people perceive their romantic relationships.