People — Affective Science & Health Laboratory

Principal Investigator - Brett Q. Ford

Brett is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Toronto and the director of the Affective Science & Health Laboratory. She completed her doctoral training in social-personality from the University of California, Berkeley after receiving her B.A. in psychology and M.A. in social-personality psychology from Boston College.

Brett’s research examines what people believe about emotions and how people manage their emotions. Her research uses multi-method and interdisciplinary approaches to consider the benefits and the costs of striving to feel good.

Email: Brett.Ford[at]utoronto.ca
Curriculum Vita

Graduate Students & post-doctoral fellows

Yitong Zhao

Yitong is pursuing her doctoral degree in Social/Personality Psychology at the University of Toronto. She received her bachelor’s degree at East China Normal University, and recently earned her master’s degree at Wake Forest University. As a researcher, Yitong is primarily interested in emotion regulation, well-being, and social relationships. Specifically, she studies individuals’ regulation processes in pursuing personal and social goals, especially processes shaped by their beliefs, values, and dispositions, and situated in regulation contexts of varying characteristics. As a mentor, Yitong values communication, mutual respect, and mentees’ growth. In her free time, you can find Yitong hiking, listening to music, practicing yoga, or making coffee.

Email: yit.zhao[at]mail.utoronto.ca

Undergraduate & post-graduate Researchers

Sehyun (Justin) Jeong

Sehyun (Justin) is a 4th year psychology specialist and philosophy major at the University of Toronto. His primary research interests are twofold: a) uncovering the development, mechanism, and antecedents of emotion regulation, and b) understanding the mechanism and architecture of reason, emotion, and the relationship between them. He is also fascinated by philosophy of science—specifically in psychological science (theoretical psychology). Currently at the Affective Science and Health Laboratory, he is working with supervisors Dr. Ford and Yitong Zhao to investigate how personality shapes interpersonal emotion regulation! Outside of the lab, he loves talking with friends for (too many) hours about science and philosophy, as well as growing spiritually with God.

Affiliate Researchers

Ali Javeed

Ali is a Social Psychology PhD student at New York University working with Dr. Jay Van Bavel in the Social Identity and Morality Lab. He received his B.Sc in Psychology with honors from the University of Toronto, after completing his thesis with Dr. Brett Ford. In his research, Ali draws on moral psychology and affective science to examine topics of socio-political importance in intergroups contexts such as conspiracy theories, extremism, and collective action. With the Affective Science and Health Laboratory, Ali is working on understanding how reappraisal tactic usage after witnessing anti-Black racism impacts political action in White participants.

Website: www.alijaveed.com/psychology

Bethany Lassetter

Bethany is a postdoctoral associate working with Dr. Andrei Cimpian at New York University. She received her Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Toronto, working with Dr. Becca Neel. Bethany examines how goal relevance and stereotypes shape social perception and emotion. As a postdoc, she has begun examining the social cognitive development and consequences of stereotypes. Within the Affective Science and Health Laboratory, Bethany studies how political events affect affective processes such as felt emotions, regulation of those emotions, and motivation to engage in political action.

Email: bethany.lassetter[at]nyu.edu
Website: www.bethanylassetter.com

Natalie Sisson

Natalie is a doctoral student in Social/Personality psychology at the University of Toronto, where she works primarily with Dr. Emily Impett. Broadly, she studies close relationships, interpersonal regulation, and well-being. She is particularly interested in the ways that people attempt to regulate the emotions and behaviours of close others (e.g., romantic partners, children) and the benefits and costs of these pursuits for personal and interpersonal outcomes. She draws on theories of interdependence, emotion regulation, goal pursuit, self-determination, and partner regulation to guide her multi-method (e.g., experimental, dyadic, longitudinal) research program. She is currently working on projects in the Affective Science & Health lab investigating how the pursuit of a close other's (e.g., child, partner) happiness and meaning shape emotion regulation strategies, and well-being.

Email: n.sisson[at]mail.utoronto.ca