Welcome to the Emotion Development Lab (EDL) at Penn State!

Our research aims to understand the complex systems involved in the development of emotion, emotion regulation, temperament, and adjustment from infancy to early adolescence. We are particularly interested in understanding early emerging individual differences in social-emotional behaviors and the consequent developmental trajectories for different types of children.

We’re recruiting!

We are looking for teens 14-16 years old to participate in a project about emotions and digital media (social media, texting, online gaming, and more). Teens will not be consented to begin until after they turn 15 years old. A parent will participate with their teen by completing questionnaires and a structured interview. Participation involves online questionnaires, interviews, remote tasks, and (if interested) 2 in-person visits in our lab at Penn State University Park campus. There are also options for remote only participation. If your teen is interested in being a participant, please complete the interest form here: interest form.

We’re recruiting!

This study will test the efficacy of a guided drawing activity for reducing anxiety in teens who are 13-17 years old. This activity consists of a pre-recorded video during which participants are instructed to draw elements of nature from exemplar photographs (e.g., leaves, twigs). The activity incorporates drawing with aspects of mindfulness meditation (i.e., being non-judgmental of thoughts and behaviors, focusing on breathing, embodiment). If your child is interested in being a participant, please sign up at https://tinyurl.com/pennstate-drawing

We are hiring!

A full-time Research Assistant is sought to work on NIMH- and Penn State-funded studies investigating anxiety and digital media use in adolescents, with a focus on emotion regulation and neurophysiological mechanisms.

This work will be done alongside Dr. Sarah Myruski at Penn State’s Emotion Development Lab.

The start date for this position is as soon as possible, but those who will not be available until early summer 2024 will also be considered.

Click here for more information.

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Meet the Lab

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