Welcome to the DEPENd Lab!

Our research focuses on the development of neurobehavioral systems underlying personality and individual differences. In particular, we are interested in the maturation of processes underlying disadvantageous decision-making in young people.

The human brain changes rapidly in adolescence, potentially facilitating the integration of social information, emotions, and long-term goals. Yet for teens whose emotions are especially reactive and intense, adolescence may be a period of risk for volatile relationships and impulsive behaviors that are harmful. Our lab seeks to understand personality, brain, and behavioral differences between individuals who experience intense, unstable emotions relative to those with greater self-regulation.

The lab is directed by Michael Hallquist, Assistant Professor of Psychology.

We are a part of the Department of Psychology at Penn State in the Moore Building. We also conduct neuroimaging research at the Social, Life, and Engineering Sciences Imaging Center (SLEIC).

Vertical Divider

June 2020
The lab will be moving from Penn State to UNC Chapel Hill on July 1st, 2020. Dr. Hallquist has accepted an Associate Professor position in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience. Thanks for wonderful experiences over the past five years, Penn State!

March 2020
Along with colleagues at University of Pittsburgh, Alison Schreiber and Michael Hallquist publish new article in Journal of Abnormal Psychology examining disrupted physiological coregulation in romantic couples with personality pathology.

February 2020
Tim Allen, Alison Schreiber, Nate Hall, and Michael Hallquist publish new article in Journal of Personality Disorders arguing for explanatory models in neuroscientific studies of personality pathology.

​Click here to view all