What we study.

How do patterns of psychological adjustment and psychopathology emerge and change across development?

DPLab studies developmental pathways across childhood, adolescence and emerging adulthood, examining both risk and protective processes.

How do young people understand, experience and regulate emotion?

Our research examines emotion-regulation processes and their relationship with behaviour, psychological adjustment and psychopathology.

Why do serious behavioural difficulties develop differently across individuals?

DPLab has a strong research focus on conduct problems, antisocial behaviour and the developmental processes associated with them.

Why do some young people show persistently low responsiveness to others' distress or reduced interpersonal sensitivity?

The lab investigates callous-unemotional traits and related emotional, behavioural and interpersonal processes within a developmental framework.

Development does not happen in isolation.

We study how relationships with parents, peers and other social contexts interact with emotional and behavioural development.

How are emotion and behaviour expressed through the body?

We examine heart rate, skin conductance and related physiological signals alongside psychological and behavioural measures.

Understanding mechanisms is only part of the goal.

DPLab also investigates how knowledge about emotion, behaviour and interpersonal processes can inform more targeted prevention and intervention approaches.

How can controlled environments make complex interactions observable?

Immersive environments allow emotional, behavioural and interpersonal processes to be studied in realistic, carefully designed settings.