DSEC Lab
@dseclab.bsky.social
Development of Social & Emotional Communication Lab at Queen's University.
Emma Canning (She/Her) – Emma is a first-year MSc student in Developmental Psychology at Queen’s. Her undergraduate thesis focused on increasing information elicitation in investigative interviewing. This year, she is excited to look at the neural bases of nonverbal communication in adolescents.
January 6, 2026 at 9:27 PM
Emma Canning (She/Her) – Emma is a first-year MSc student in Developmental Psychology at Queen’s. Her undergraduate thesis focused on increasing information elicitation in investigative interviewing. This year, she is excited to look at the neural bases of nonverbal communication in adolescents.
Thank you so much to all the participants, families, and community organizations who helped make 2025 such an amazing year in the DSEC Lab! We will be off until January 4th, 2026. We look forward to welcoming participants to the lab again in the new year!
#YGKfamilies
#YGKfamilies
December 23, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Thank you so much to all the participants, families, and community organizations who helped make 2025 such an amazing year in the DSEC Lab! We will be off until January 4th, 2026. We look forward to welcoming participants to the lab again in the new year!
#YGKfamilies
#YGKfamilies
The DSEC Lab’s winter newsletter is now available! Click the link in our bio to learn more about our ongoing studies, read up on recent study findings from the lab, and find fun activities to do with your family over the winter break. We’re so excited for you all to read it!
#YGKfamilies
#YGKfamilies
December 19, 2025 at 9:01 PM
The DSEC Lab’s winter newsletter is now available! Click the link in our bio to learn more about our ongoing studies, read up on recent study findings from the lab, and find fun activities to do with your family over the winter break. We’re so excited for you all to read it!
#YGKfamilies
#YGKfamilies
Have you ever wondered how we really communicate emotion? To help show you emotion expression in action, we recreated 3 emotional expressions missing key nonverbal cues. These examples show how much harder it is to decode someone’s feelings when even one piece of nonverbal communication is absent!
December 11, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Have you ever wondered how we really communicate emotion? To help show you emotion expression in action, we recreated 3 emotional expressions missing key nonverbal cues. These examples show how much harder it is to decode someone’s feelings when even one piece of nonverbal communication is absent!
Sean Koh (he/him) — Lab Coordinator. Sean is the joint coordinator for the DSEC Lab and the Early Experience Lab (EEL) at Queen's. He is excited to contribute to the ongoing projects of the DSEC team and to learn more about how adolescents express their emotions through non-verbal communication.
December 2, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Sean Koh (he/him) — Lab Coordinator. Sean is the joint coordinator for the DSEC Lab and the Early Experience Lab (EEL) at Queen's. He is excited to contribute to the ongoing projects of the DSEC team and to learn more about how adolescents express their emotions through non-verbal communication.
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a part of the DSEC Lab? Our research assistants, Navid and Madhureema, take you behind the scenes of our study, EXPRESS-RT! 👀
(✒️Navid Shabani Barzegar and Madhureema Balasubramani Rupa)
(✒️Navid Shabani Barzegar and Madhureema Balasubramani Rupa)
November 25, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a part of the DSEC Lab? Our research assistants, Navid and Madhureema, take you behind the scenes of our study, EXPRESS-RT! 👀
(✒️Navid Shabani Barzegar and Madhureema Balasubramani Rupa)
(✒️Navid Shabani Barzegar and Madhureema Balasubramani Rupa)
We are looking for youth ages 12-15 for a neuroimaging study (2 x ~2-hour visits; bring a friend & caregiver to the 1st visit)! Teens receive $100 ($40 for friend + $20 for caregiver) and will be asked to return 1 year later ($120). See details in attached video! #YGKfamilies
November 20, 2025 at 9:01 PM
We are looking for youth ages 12-15 for a neuroimaging study (2 x ~2-hour visits; bring a friend & caregiver to the 1st visit)! Teens receive $100 ($40 for friend + $20 for caregiver) and will be asked to return 1 year later ($120). See details in attached video! #YGKfamilies
Alana Tran (she/her) — QU’27 in Psychology. Alana is a third-year psychology student working as a research assistant in the DSEC Lab. Her research interests currently revolve around how emotion recognition and regulation develop in adolescents.
November 11, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Alana Tran (she/her) — QU’27 in Psychology. Alana is a third-year psychology student working as a research assistant in the DSEC Lab. Her research interests currently revolve around how emotion recognition and regulation develop in adolescents.
People rely on nonverbal (“show, don’t tell”) cues to infer someone’s feelings and intentions. However, people often understand these signals in very different ways. So, what factors determine how something is interpreted? (✒️Julia Guo)
October 28, 2025 at 8:39 PM
People rely on nonverbal (“show, don’t tell”) cues to infer someone’s feelings and intentions. However, people often understand these signals in very different ways. So, what factors determine how something is interpreted? (✒️Julia Guo)
During adolescence, friendships take center stage and social cues become particularly important to attend to. Sandre and colleagues investigated how youths’ and adults’ brains responded to subtle changes in facial expressions by teenagers and adults. Check out this video to see what they found!
October 23, 2025 at 8:04 PM
During adolescence, friendships take center stage and social cues become particularly important to attend to. Sandre and colleagues investigated how youths’ and adults’ brains responded to subtle changes in facial expressions by teenagers and adults. Check out this video to see what they found!
Catherine Shevelevich (she/her) - QU’27 in Psychology. Catherine is a third-year psychology student working as a research assistant in the DSEC lab! Catherine takes a special interest in parental influence on children’s social and emotional development.
October 7, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Catherine Shevelevich (she/her) - QU’27 in Psychology. Catherine is a third-year psychology student working as a research assistant in the DSEC lab! Catherine takes a special interest in parental influence on children’s social and emotional development.
The tone of voice we use says a lot, but not everyone hears it the same way. Morningstar et al. investigated whether internalizing symptoms like anxiety and depression are associated with youth’s ability to recognize emotions in others' voices. Check out this post to learn more ( ✒️ Jay Burns)
October 3, 2025 at 8:00 PM
The tone of voice we use says a lot, but not everyone hears it the same way. Morningstar et al. investigated whether internalizing symptoms like anxiety and depression are associated with youth’s ability to recognize emotions in others' voices. Check out this post to learn more ( ✒️ Jay Burns)
We are looking for youth ages 12-15 for a neuroimaging study (2 x ~2-hour visits; bring a friend & caregiver to the 1st visit)! Teens receive $100 ($40 for friend + $20 for caregiver) and will be asked to return 1 year later ($120). See details in attached video! #YGKfamilies
September 23, 2025 at 8:02 PM
We are looking for youth ages 12-15 for a neuroimaging study (2 x ~2-hour visits; bring a friend & caregiver to the 1st visit)! Teens receive $100 ($40 for friend + $20 for caregiver) and will be asked to return 1 year later ($120). See details in attached video! #YGKfamilies
How well can you read nonverbal cues? Nonverbal cues, such as facial expressions and tone of voice, are extremely important for understanding social situations. In this video, we’re going to put your skills to the test! Think: what would you do? 🤔 (🖋️Olivia Merulla)
September 18, 2025 at 8:02 PM
How well can you read nonverbal cues? Nonverbal cues, such as facial expressions and tone of voice, are extremely important for understanding social situations. In this video, we’re going to put your skills to the test! Think: what would you do? 🤔 (🖋️Olivia Merulla)
Rushmeet Singh (She/Her) – QU’26 in Kinesiology. Rushmeet is a fourth-year kinesiology student researching nonverbal communication in the DSEC Lab. She’s passionate about dentistry, plays badminton, dabbles in graphic design, and has a mission to cook a dish from every country!
September 9, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Rushmeet Singh (She/Her) – QU’26 in Kinesiology. Rushmeet is a fourth-year kinesiology student researching nonverbal communication in the DSEC Lab. She’s passionate about dentistry, plays badminton, dabbles in graphic design, and has a mission to cook a dish from every country!
Looking for something to do this fall and interested in participating in science? The DSEC Lab might just have the thing for you! This fall, we’re running 2 studies for teens. 😁 Check out this post to see our posters and learn more!
September 4, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Looking for something to do this fall and interested in participating in science? The DSEC Lab might just have the thing for you! This fall, we’re running 2 studies for teens. 😁 Check out this post to see our posters and learn more!
The DSEC Lab’s back-to-school newsletter is now available 📚! Click the link in our bio to learn more about our ongoing studies, read up on recent study findings from the lab, and check out fun activities to do with the family before school starts up again! We can’t wait for you all to read it 😊
August 29, 2025 at 12:01 PM
The DSEC Lab’s back-to-school newsletter is now available 📚! Click the link in our bio to learn more about our ongoing studies, read up on recent study findings from the lab, and check out fun activities to do with the family before school starts up again! We can’t wait for you all to read it 😊
The DSEC Lab is back again to explain how various parts of the brain help us communicate emotions! 🧠 We look at the brain regions associated with expressing emotions via tone of voice. Check out this video (link below) to learn more! (✒️Olivia Merulla, Sarah Wong) buff.ly/sATMqwU
August 19, 2025 at 12:03 PM
The DSEC Lab is back again to explain how various parts of the brain help us communicate emotions! 🧠 We look at the brain regions associated with expressing emotions via tone of voice. Check out this video (link below) to learn more! (✒️Olivia Merulla, Sarah Wong) buff.ly/sATMqwU
Have you ever heard that participating in research is pointless, or that research labs are cold and unwelcoming? These are some common misconceptions surrounding psychological research. Check out this post as we discuss the truths behind these research myths! (✒️Polly Clayton, Rushmeet Singh)
August 15, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Have you ever heard that participating in research is pointless, or that research labs are cold and unwelcoming? These are some common misconceptions surrounding psychological research. Check out this post as we discuss the truths behind these research myths! (✒️Polly Clayton, Rushmeet Singh)
Tessa Patton (She/Her) - QU'26 in Psychology and English. Tessa is a fourth-year student, volunteering as an RA in the DSEC Lab. Her interests center on the ways in which children navigate social interactions and how this affects engagement in risk-taking behaviours.
August 5, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Tessa Patton (She/Her) - QU'26 in Psychology and English. Tessa is a fourth-year student, volunteering as an RA in the DSEC Lab. Her interests center on the ways in which children navigate social interactions and how this affects engagement in risk-taking behaviours.
#FunFactFridays are back! Did you know that small but significant gender differences in emotional expression have been reported for adults? In this post, we highlight a review paper by T.M. Chaplin that discusses possible causes of these gender differences. (✒️ Laura Edelstein)
August 1, 2025 at 12:02 PM
#FunFactFridays are back! Did you know that small but significant gender differences in emotional expression have been reported for adults? In this post, we highlight a review paper by T.M. Chaplin that discusses possible causes of these gender differences. (✒️ Laura Edelstein)
Have you ever wondered what it looks like inside the DSEC Lab? Check out this video by former research assistant Diana Romano as she takes a tour of the lab and talks about 5 different benefits of being an RA! 🙌
youtube.com/shorts/w5pgc...
youtube.com/shorts/w5pgc...
July 22, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Have you ever wondered what it looks like inside the DSEC Lab? Check out this video by former research assistant Diana Romano as she takes a tour of the lab and talks about 5 different benefits of being an RA! 🙌
youtube.com/shorts/w5pgc...
youtube.com/shorts/w5pgc...
Curious about how screens can impact youth’s emotional development? A study by Uhls et al. (2014) provides some insight. Check out this post to learn more about their findings! (✒️Yaein Kim)
July 17, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Curious about how screens can impact youth’s emotional development? A study by Uhls et al. (2014) provides some insight. Check out this post to learn more about their findings! (✒️Yaein Kim)
Polly Clayton (She/Her) is a summer research intern from the UK. She is an undergraduate Psychology student at Durham University and is particularly interested in neuropsychology and development. She is also hoping to learn more about pursuing a career in research!
July 8, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Polly Clayton (She/Her) is a summer research intern from the UK. She is an undergraduate Psychology student at Durham University and is particularly interested in neuropsychology and development. She is also hoping to learn more about pursuing a career in research!
Peyton Nault, a former Master’s student in the DSEC Lab, recently published findings from her work in Social Development. This study found that youth’s Hostile Attribution Bias was associated with their evaluation of nonverbal responses to peer provocation.
July 3, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Peyton Nault, a former Master’s student in the DSEC Lab, recently published findings from her work in Social Development. This study found that youth’s Hostile Attribution Bias was associated with their evaluation of nonverbal responses to peer provocation.