Emotion Regulation Lab | Hunter College Department of Psychology

Current Members

Dr. Tracy Dennis, Lab Director

Dr. Dennis (Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University) is an associate professor in the Psychology Department at Hunter College, The City University of New York. Trained in clinical psychology from a developmental psychopathology perspective, she is interested in the development of emotion regulation and risk for mood and anxiety disorders. Her research focuses on identifying neurophysiological correlates of emotion regulation and emotional disruptions with an eye towards improving early detection and treatment of emotional disorders. Current research projects explore the development of emotion regulation by integrating measurement of brain, behavior, and environment. New research uses event-related potentials to examine attentional biases in anxiety. Her recent publications include articles on neurophysiological markers for emotion regulation and emotion-attention interactions, child temperament and emotion regulation, parenting and child adjustment, and methodological issues in the measurement of emotion regulation.

Research Support

Professional Affiliations

E-mail tracy.dennis@hunter.cuny.edu

Dr. Beylul Solomon, Project Coordinator

I earned my Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Yeshiva University in May 2009. My research interests include the relationship between the neural processes of emotion regulation and the development of psychopathology in infants and young children. Furthermore, I am also interested in EEG asymmetry and how that may be a trait marker for affective style.

E-mail beylulsolomon@yahoo.com

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Jennifer Augello, Research Assistant

I earned my B.A. in Psychology from Rider University in 2006. I am currently a Ph.D. student at the Graduate Center (CUNY) in the Biopsychology and Behavioral Neuroscience program. I am interested in how emotion plays a role in various cognitive processes such as memory and attention.

E-mail jennifer.decicco@gmail.com

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Melanie Hong, Research Assistant

I earned my B.A. in Psychology from Hunter College in the Spring of 2008. I worked on my honors thesis where I examined effortful control in children and its relation to emotion regulation. Presently, I am interested in studying ERPs to investigate how emotion regulation strategies such as reappraisal interact with emotional processing. Some of my research interests include disruptions in emotion regulation and the influence they may have on subsequent clinical disorders.

E-mail mel.hong2@gmail.com

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Laura O'Toole, Research Assistant

I earned my B.A. in Psychology and Philosophy from Binghamton University in 2007. I am currently a Ph.D. student in the Biopsychology and Behavioral Neuroscience program at the CUNY Graduate Center. I am interested in electrophysiological and behavioral aspects of emotional processing and its effects on attention, as well as interventions such as attention training or mindfulness meditation techniques that may alter the response patterns associated with attentional biases to emotional stimuli.

Email laurajotoole@gmail.com

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Kai Monde, Research Assistant

I am currently a doctoral student of the Biopsychology Program at CUNY Graduate Center. I completed my undergraduate studies at SUNY Empire State College and obtained an MS Degree in Business Computer Information Systems from Baruch College, as well as an MA Degree in Psychology from Hunter College. I was a recipient of the Bridges to the Doctorate Fellowship for Spring of 2007 and am currently a Science Fellow. I am interested in studying the neuropsychology of clinical disorders, namely, PTSD, Dissociative Disorders, and depression..

E-mail kaimonde@optonline.net

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Alina Klimova, Research Assistant

I am currently an undergraduate pursuing a BA in psychology at Hunter College. Presently, I am working on my honors thesis where I am examining how temperament predicts the different strategies used by children in delay of gratification. I plan on attending graduate school for a degree in clinical psychology.

Email aklmv.001@gmail.com

Alisa Powers, Research Assistant

I graduated with honors from Barnard College at Columbia University in the spring of 2006 and am currently earning my M.A. in psychology at Hunter College. I am presently interested in researching how mindfulness meditation can be used as an intervention technique to treat emotional and behavioral disorders in children and to enhance overall emotional well-being and mental health.

Email alisa.powers@gmail.com

Ellen Kessel, Research Assistant

I am a recent graduate of Columbia University with a degree in Economics. Currently, I am taking classes at CUNY Hunter to complete Psychology coursework. I am mainly interested in the development of psychopathologies and early childhood behavioral traits that serve as predictors. I hope to eventually pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology.

Email emkessel@gmail.com

Lauren Saunders, Research Assistant

I graduated from the University of Florida with a B.S. in Psychology and am currently completing my second year in Hunter's M.A. program in General Psychology. My research interests include the development and underlying neurological mechanisms of antisocial behavior, as well as the emotion regulation strategies of individuals exhibiting such behavior. I hope to pursue a Ph.D. in Forensic Psychology.

Email laurenvsaunders@gmail.com

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Oliver Dobrich, Research Assistant

I earned my BA in Psychology and Philosophy from Rutgers College in 2007. I am currently a Masters student in the CUNY-CCNY Psychology General Masters Program. I am broadly interested in the relationship between brain and behavior particularly in the connection between observable behavioral phenomena and possible electrophysiological correlates.

Email odobrich@gmail.com

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Sukhi, Canine Therapist

Sukhi, our Canine Therapist, is an integral member of the Emotion Regulation Lab. Her innovative play therapy techniques have demonstrated their efficacy as measured by greater happiness and relaxation in all lab members, especially her caregiver, Dr. Dennis. Her hobbies include hiding her treats in every nook and cranny of the lab and napping on lab members’ laps.