My research examines the roles of social cognition and emotion in the regulation of behavior, and the neural mechanisms underlying these processes. Much of my work examines these processes in the context of prejudice and stereotyping, although my interests extend to the areas of motivation and health psychology. In each area, issues of behavioral regulation are central and the focus is on mechanism.
Although the questions that guide my work address classic social psychological issues, my approach is interdisciplinary; I integrate theory and methodology from social psychology, cognitive/affective neuroscience, and psychophysiology to inform my hypotheses and the designs of my studies. This integrative approach is useful because it often leads to novel hypotheses and it promotes the synthesis of research findings across disciplines.
My research may be described broadly as social neuroscience; I typically use EEG, event-related potentials (ERPs), and fMRI in combination with behavioral and self-report measures to study social processes.
Please visit my lab: Amodio Social Neuroscience Lab