Exploring Novel Perspectives of Emotions & Cognition
February 16, 2024 2024-04-02 12:04Exploring Novel Perspectives of Emotions & Cognition
Research Centres
E-COG : Emotion & Cognition Psychology Research Centre
Introduction
The Emotion & Cognition Research Centre explores how emotional and cognitive processes operate, independently and interactively, to influence behavior, learning and memory, decision-making, work performance, well-being, and other facets of psychology. The Centre aims to employ an interdisciplinary perspective, informing and drawing from such diverse fields as philosophy, sociology, education, economics, criminal justice, political science, history, literature, and technology (e.g., Artificial Intelligence). The goal is to advance, communicate, and apply psychological principles and findings to make a positive impact on critical societal issues in India and around the world.
It revolves around the investigations of developmental processes, factors associated with, and consequences of emotions and cognition in humans. It captivates the researchers willing to explore the manifestations of these phenomena in our everyday lives, from not only the ‘business-as-usual’ psychological lens, but also the positive psychological perspective. It attempts to bridge the gaps in existing literature about various human emotional and cognitive phenomena from a holistic perspective.
Emotions and cognition are both critical areas of study in psychology, which is the scientific study of how people think, feel, behave, make decisions, and make sense of the world around them. Emotions refer to our feelings or affective states often accompanied by physiological arousal. They can be positive (such as joy or love) or negative (such as anger or fear). Emotions play a vital role in psychology because they can influence how we perceive and interpret different situations, how we communicate with others, and how we respond to social cues, and make decisions. Cognition refers to the mental processes involved in acquiring, processing, storing, and using information. These processes include perception, attention, learning, memory, reasoning, and decision-making. Cognition is also a key area of study in psychology because it enables us to process the information that we receive from our environment and use it to guide our actions and make decisions. Overall, emotions and cognition are interconnected and often influence each other. Understanding the role of emotions and cognition in human behavior can help us better understand how we interact with others and how we can regulate our emotions and thoughts to improve our lives.
Mission
Exploring relationship between emotions and cognition
There is still much to be learned about the ways in which emotions and cognition influence each other in social situations. For example, research has shown that emotions can influence our cognitive processes, but it is not yet fully understood how this occurs. Therefore, this center aims to unravel the ‘process’ of occurrence of different psychological phenomena influencing one’s social behavior in varied contexts, ultimately attempting to answer the question: “HOW?”
Exploring role of culture in emotions and cognition
Research has shown that there are cultural differences in the way that people experience and express emotions. However, there is still much to be learned about the ways in which culture influences emotions and cognition in social situations. Additionally, the existing literature in the Indian context typically situates the findings in cultural milieu and gives little importance to the cross-cultural comparisons and ‘boundaryless’ contemporary lives of the younger generations. As part of this center, we attempt to not only focus on cultural and cross-cultural nuances of emotions and cognitions in varied social situations, but also on other demographic and contextual factors predisposing the behavioral responses. The aim is to especially delve deeper into the psyche of different sections of society/organizations left unexplored or undervalued so far.
Exploring impact of technology, internet and social media on emotions and cognition
The use of technology and internet has become increasingly prevalent in recent years, and there is still much to be learned about the ways in which they impact emotions and cognition in real-life situations. Similarly, social media has become a major part of modern society, and there is still much to be learned about the ways in which it impacts emotions and cognition in several situations. The contemporary generations being born with a partial sense of virtual life, and its increased dominance through various AI-based software and mobile applications, or machine learning based technical interventions for behavioral issues/changes, the need to investigate their impact and consequent transformations in the human psyche equally holds importance. Thus, this center aims to target the impact of technology, virtual reality, internet and artificial intelligence on human emotions and cognition leading to any behavioral consequences at individual and social level.
Exploring development of emotion regulation skills
Emotion regulation skills are important for mental health and well-being, but there is still much to be learned about how these skills develop and how they can be improved. While most of us are intrigued by the concept of ‘emotional intelligence’ and can witness increased exchanges about its importance in everyday lives, little do we know about its development. This center not only aims to unravel the factors associated with individual emotional and cognitive development but also, a detailed understanding of its development process and ways to improvise such skills.
Research at E-Cog Centre is aimed at unravelling various facets of the interplay between various human emotions and their cognition. There are multiple ways to investigate the processes associated with one’s emotions and cognitions, however, this research area is targeted specifically around the use of experimental designs to undertake the inquiry. Eclectic research methodologies including behavioral measures, for instance facial and non-verbal expressions, reaction time experiments, and alike; self-report measures, and various psychophysiological measures shall be utilized as part of the experimentation research area of E-Cog Centre.
Furthermore, the use of behavioral experiments, electroencephalography (EEG), eye-tracking, and such tools will aid the projects deciphering the nuanced observations of human emotion and cognition interaction at micro-level. Researchers might utilize various tools and techniques to deconstruct various psychological phenomena by manipulating the emotional stimulus to understand one’s cognitive performance, and vis-a-versa. Besides that, psychophysiological measures (involving skin conductance, heart rate and respiration) and techniques to gauge the electric activity of the brain will give an edge for conjecturing over various cognitive processes and emotional states.
The strikingly important feature of this research area is devoted to the role of virtual reality in human life. Use of virtual reality-based techniques to undertake various simulation research activities will allow this cohort to predict the real-life consequences in terms of human behavior, and allow speculation of strategies to mitigate challenges under special circumstances, for instance, the emotional and cognitive processes involved in confinement/ social isolation, and many more.
The E-Cog Research Centre drives the research providing the solutions to real-life problems humans encounter every day. It endeavors to promote various theoretical, practical, social and policy implications for various social, organizational, and work-related psychological phenomena relevant in the present-day scenario. The scope of work in the research area of ‘Applications & Innovations’ in emotions and cognitions is transdisciplinary in nature and extends to the novel fields of business, industries, educational systems, pedagogy, community welfare, entrepreneurship, and allied specializations.
There is still much to be learned about the ways in which psychological processes shape and are shaped by the interplay of emotions and cognition. Besides, various phenomena in the applied field of emotion and cognition mandate examination, for instance, emotional regulation, emotional intelligence, affect and mood, role of executive functions in emotion regulating behaviors, the process involving influence of emotions over memory, and many alike. This research area not only allows for novel conceptualization of varied psychological constructs concerning emotion and cognition, but also endeavors to decipher their procedural nuances. Further, the research area of ‘Applications & Innovations’ also illuminate on the different initiatives and research findings rooted in varied philosophical traditions and ideological systems to rekindle the dialogues about inter-/cross-/ multi-cultural perspectives versus boundaryless contemporary systems.
Different eclectic methodologies, involving field research using qualitative and quantitative measures are aimed to employe to undertake investigations as part of this research area of E-Cog. Artificial intelligence, brain imagining techniques, virtual and augmented reality, developmental studies, and other psychophysiological measures to investigate the social innovations in the field of emotion and cognition allows this research area to craft its niche. This research area allows the autonomy to draw implications for improved social behavior and cognition, allowing advancement of humankind in an emotionally intelligent way.
The aim of this research area is to improve the quality of life for individuals facing emotional and cognitive challenges. We specialize in assessing and intervening in syndromal and subsyndromal clinical conditions such as ADHD, Chronic Anxiety, and Major Depressive Disorders. Additionally, we are interested in understanding individual differences in emotions and cognitions in people without clinical symptoms, as this can help us better understand clinical conditions.
Emotion and cognition are often viewed as opposing or even independent; however, in reality, they are meant to inform and collaborate with each other to help individuals best adapt to their environment. Emotional regulation is the ability to manage and respond to emotions effectively and this ability is crucial for wellbeing, self-understanding, social intelligence, academic and personal success. Therefore, we approach assessment and intervention holistically to develop effective intervention plans that address the individual’s emotional and cognitive needs.
With the advancement of neuropsychological and neurophysiological measures, we now have sophisticated measures that can help us better understand emotional and cognitive functioning. By utilizing these measures and validating them to our populations, we can gain insight into the underlying mechanisms of clinical conditions and tailor interventions to each individual’s unique needs.
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Derick H. Lindquist, Ph. D.Director Research Interests: Biological Psychology (aka Behavioral Neuroscience), Learning and Memory, Animal and Human Behavior, Comparative Psychology, Cognition and Executive Functions, Emotion and Stress, Developmental Psychology, Abnormal Psychology and Psychopathology, Evolutionary Psychology, and Consciousness. |
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Divya Bhatia, Ph. D.Associate Director (Research & Experimentation) Research Interests: Working Memory & Cognition |
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Kannu Priya Kamboj, Ph. D.Associate Director (Application & Innovations) Research Interests: Cognitive basis of Positive Psychology, Emotional Regulation & Emotional Socialization, work & family studies, future of work, positive organizational behavior. |
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Meenakshi Baneerjee, Ph. D.Associate Director (Assessment & Interventions) Research Interests: Neurocognitive mechanisms of mood & anxiety disorders, and innovative techniques to improve cognitive control networks |
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Kriti TyagiAssistant Director (Research & Experimentation) Research Interests: Adolescent risky decision making and Digital Games in SEL |
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Deepak Pandiaraj, Ph. D.Assistant Director (Application & Innovations) Research Interests: Philosophical Psychology of self, Emotions & Decision Making, Application of Logotherapy |
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Yoshiko Ishioka Miyata, Ph. D.Assistant Director (Assessment & Interventions) Research Interests: Cognitive ageing studies, adaptation to ageing process |