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Below is a list of the Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience's studies that are currently looking for participants. If you are interested and meet the basic eligibility requirements for the study, please contact the Study Coordinator listed. For additional opportunities, please see here.
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine how our cognitive and emotional processes interact when people interpret and respond to emotional stimuli. In this study we will measure your responses during a memory task and in response to emotional stimuli, as well as your answers to several brief questionnaires.
Location: The research will be conducted in the Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience, Psychology Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison at 1202 West Johnson Street.
Compensation: The study will take approximately between 1-2 hours and you will receive $10/hour for participating in this study.
Basic Eligibility Criteria: You must be right handed, at least 18 years old, and either a US citizen or have a valid F1 or J1 visa to receive compensation.
Contact: Please direct any questions or concerns to uwappraisalstudy@gmail.com
The purpose of this study is to test the interaction thinking and feeling processes. The study involves 3 sessions, but only a select number of people will be invited back to the laboratory based on their performance at the first session.
Session 1 is a preliminary session in which you will play a short-term memory task on a computer and complete several questionnaires. This session will take place in the Psychology Department in Brogden Hall (1202 West Johnson St) and will take about 45 minutes. Based on your responses and performance, you may be asked back to complete the second session.
Sessions 2 & 3 will again involve short computerized cognitive tasks and questionnaires, as well as tasks during which both psychophysiological and self-reported responses to emotional pictures and faces will be measured. These sessions will take place at the Psychology Department and will take 2 full days.
Basic eligibility criteria: You must be right handed, at least 18 years old, and either a US citizen or have a valid F1 or J1 visa to receive compensation.
Study location: Brogden Psychology Building, 1202 W. Johnson, Madison, WI
Compensation: You will be paid $10 for the first session, which takes less than one hour. If you are asked back to the lab and participate in the follow-up sessions, you will earn at least an additional $200.
Contact: Please direct any questions or concerns to Chelsea at 608-262-9888 or email uwcognitionemotionexperiment@gmail.com. (A downloadable flyer is available.)
We are interested in how different people make different economic decisions. If you participate, you will be asked to complete forms, and play simple decision making games over the internet with other people. This will take up to 90 minutes. Participants will have an opportunity to make between $5 and $100. In order to participate, you must be over the age of 18 and be eligible to receive payment for study participation.
Please email decisiongames@gmail.com in order to participate in a decision-making experiment
Dr. Greg Kolden is recruiting people who have depression for two different studies of brain changes occurring as the result of treatment for depression. One study involves interpersonal therapy and the other involves antidepressant medication. The treatments used in both studies are standard, effective treatments for depression. (Downloadable flyer available.)
Interpersonal Therapy: Participants attend weekly Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) sessions. IPT focuses on difficulties in interpersonal relationships that are usually associated with depression. Eligible subjects cannot use medication for depression for the six months they are in the study.
Antidepressant Medication: Participants will take one of 2 antidepressant medications. Both antidepressants will be prescribed by a psychiatrist. Eligible subjects cannot be in therapy for depression for the six months they are in the study or take any other antidepressant medications.
Participants in both studies will undergo 3 MRI brain scans. MRI brain scans measure brain activity and require subjects to lie on their backs for up to 2 hours. The MRIs and study-related visits are provided at no cost and occur over a 6-month period.
Basic eligibilty criteria: Eligible subjects cannot use medication for depression for the six months they are in the study. Subjects must meet clinical criteria for depression and must:
Compensation: Subjects will be paid $375.
Study location: This research will be conducted in the Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging & Behavior at the Waisman Center.
Contact: Call 608-265-8245 or email MRI_brain_research@psych.wisc.edu or visit https://psychiatry.wisc.edu/mridepressionstudy/index.htm.
The Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience is looking for individuals who would like to participate in a research registry. This is simply a list of people who have given their permission to be contacted and invited to participate in future research studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Many of these research studies are paid. Your participation in these studies is voluntary and you may discontinue your participation in any study at any time. By helping research studies enroll participants from a wide range of backgrounds, this registry will help to ensure that the results of a study apply to a broad range of people.
What kind of research would I be contacted about?
The details of each study will be clearly explained when you are invited to participate. In general, our group is interested in emotion, the brain, as well as physical & mental health.
Who’s eligible?
Anyone 18 years or older.
Contact: Liz Vanderwerff 608-262-9944 or email vanderwerff@wisc.edu