Research Interests
|
The RENH lab, directed by Dr. Hannah Volpert-Esmond, focuses on how racial and ethnic categories are constructed and perceived, and how race/ethnicity-based prejudice and discrimination affect health or other consequences. In our research, we use a variety of methodologies, including EEG/ERPs, cardiovascular measurement, daily diary or other intensive longitudinal assessments, lab-based behavioral experiments, and self-report surveys.
|
Perception of Race |
Discrimination and Mental Health |
|
Current and past research focuses on how membership in racial categories is perceived from faces and the role played by early attentional processes, including the P2 ERP component.
Factors Buffering Acute Discrimination-Related StressOngoing research focuses on how Latin Americans experience acute cardiovascular stress when disclosing or talking about experiences with discrimination, and how cultural factors, including familism or social support from close others buffer acute stress responses.
Development of Statistical Tools for EEG/ERP ResearchMultilevel modeling (MLM) is becoming extremely popular for the analysis of ERPs. Dr. Volpert-Esmond has published several tutorials for the application of MLM to ERPs and developed new techniques for using MLM to examine single-trial ERPs.
|
Current and past research focuses on the bidirectional relationship between experiencing discrimination and mental health consequences for members of racial/ethnic minority groups, including anxiety and depression, and how this relationship fluctuates over time (e.g., days/weeks).
News Engagement and Vicarious DiscriminationOngoing and upcoming research focuses on how members of marginalized groups experience vicarious discrimination through social media and news sources, and how engagement in politics or news consumption contributes to negative mental health consequences as a result.
|
