About Us
Our research approach is to examine social behavior using neuroscience methods, such as event-related brain potentials (ERPs), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and psychophysiological measures such as electrodermal activity (EDA), facial electromyography (EMG), and electrocardiography (ECG). We study a broad range of topics, including emotion, ambivalence, race bias, imitation and empathy, meditation and attention, and social rejection. One focus in the laboratory is on individual differences and personality, or how different people can respond to the same event in very different ways, and how these differences relate to mental and physical health.

Current Studies
Poster Presentations
Conference Presentations
Current Studies

Meditation and Attention
In this experiment, we investigate the effects of meditation on cognitive performance.
Attention and Cognitive Depletion
This study investigates the effects of ambivalent emotion on cognitive performance.
Synchrony and Cooperation
This experiment examines the effects of physical imitation on social interactions between individuals.
Attention and Cognitive Depletion
In this study, we look at the effects of food ambivalence in restricted eaters on cognitive performance.
Poster Presentations

A Strong Test of the Negativity Bias and Positivity Offset: P300 Amplitudes are Larger to Big Losses than Big Wins; and to Small Wins than Small Losses
Anastasia Erley, Shruthi Srivastan, and Catherine J. Norris, PhD (presented at meeting of Society for Psychophysiological Research 2023 in New Orleans)
Eliminate the negative, accentuate the positive: emotion regulation of ambivalence in a gambling task
Emily J. Wu and Catherine J. Norris, PhD (presented at SANS 2016 in New York and SPR 2016 in Minneapolis)

In this experiment, we seek to discover the effects of emotional regulation on ambivalence, which is the state of holding both positive and negative affect in mind simultaneously. Specifically, can emotional regulation reduce or eliminate ambivalence levels? We found that both positive and negative emotion regulation is effective, but not in the way one would expect!
The effects of gait synchrony on interpersonal cooperation
Catherine J. Norris, PhD, Ray Lefco, Greer Prettyman, Chris Thomson, & Frank H. Durgin, PhD (presented at SPSP 2016 in San Diego)
"It's the Little Things in Life": evidence for spontaneous emotion regulation to mildly emotional pictures in older females
Catherine J. Norris, PhD and Michelle R. Johnson(presented at SANS 2016 in New York and SPR 2016 in Minneapolis)

The positivity offset is a pattern in which mildly pleasant stimuli have a stronger effect on emotional responses than mildly unpleasant stimuli. This research explored neural evidence of greater spontaneous emotion regulation in older participants which partially mediated the greater positivity offset seen in the older group. A greater positivity offset may prove beneficial to mental health in older populations.
The role of implicit race bias in intergroup
Michael Fishman, Nana Bonna, and Catherine J. Norris, PhD (presented at SPSP 2015 in Long Beach)
Higher neuroticism is associated with greater false memory for negative versus positive critical lures
Catherine J. Norris, PhD, P. Leaf, and K. Fenn (presented at SPSP 2015 in Long Beach)
Efficient coding provides a better account of systematic biases in locomotor space perception than does action ability
Johnny Oh, A. Robinson, Chris Thomson, Ruth Talbot, Catherine J. Norris, PhD., and Frank H. Durgin, PhD (presented at Vision Sciences Society 2015 in St. Pete's Beach)
Knowledge effects on slant estimation are mediated by Conscientiousness
A. Robinson, Johnny Oh, Chris Thomson, Ruth Talbot, Catherine J. Norris, PhD., and Frank H. Durgin, PhD (presented at Vision Sciences Society 2015 in St. Pete's Beach)
Conference Presentations

Brief meditation increases resource allocation and improves performance on the ANT
Dan Creem, Les Sikos, and Catherine J. Norris, PhD (presented at meeting of Society for Psychophysiological Research 2015 in Seattle)

About Us

Current Studies

Meditation and Attention

Attention and Cognitive Depletion

Synchrony and Cooperation

Attention and Cognitive Depletion

Poster Presentations

A Strong Test of the Negativity Bias and Positivity Offset: P300 Amplitudes are Larger to Big Losses than Big Wins; and to Small Wins than Small Losses

Eliminate the negative, accentuate the positive: emotion regulation of ambivalence in a gambling task

The effects of gait synchrony on interpersonal cooperation

"It's the Little Things in Life": evidence for spontaneous emotion regulation to mildly emotional pictures in older females

The role of implicit race bias in intergroup

Higher neuroticism is associated with greater false memory for negative versus positive critical lures

Efficient coding provides a better account of systematic biases in locomotor space perception than does action ability

Knowledge effects on slant estimation are mediated by Conscientiousness

Conference Presentations

Brief meditation increases resource allocation and improves performance on the ANT