From the College of Psychology…

April 2025 Research Highlights reported by the College of Psychology.

Jonathan Banks, PhD, has recently published a series of studies building on work that has been elucidating the emotional valence of mind wandering. This is a novel contribution to the literature as we have shown the impact of emotional valenced mind wandering on task performance, factors that predict mind wandering in the laboratory and outside of the laboratory in daily life. Further, we have identified age related differences in emotionally valenced mind wandering. Finally, we have examined individual differences in the ability to engage in mind wandering strategically. This work has been done with current and former students and involved collaborators at Washington University in Saint Louis.

 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39904841/

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2025-79991-001

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2024-96362-001

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11256071/

 

References:

  • Welhaf, M. S., Bugg, J. M., & Banks, J. B. (in press) Who can strategically modulate mind wandering? A preregistered replication and extension of Seli et al. (2018). Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
  • Banks, J. B., Brancaleone, P. J., & Holtzman, A. S. (2025) Mind wandering in daily life: The role of emotional valence and intentionality dimensions. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition.10.1037/xlm0001450 Advanced online publication
  • Welhaf, M. S. & Banks, J. B. (2025). Effects of emotional valence of mind wandering on sustained attention performance. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition. 51(2), 238-254.
  • Welhaf, M. S., Astacio, M. A., & Banks, J. B. (2024). Further unpacking individual differences in mind wandering: The role of emotional valence and awareness. Consciousness and Cognition, 122, 1-18.
  • Welhaf, M. S., Valdez, M. R., Banks, J.B. & Bugg, J. M. (Accepted). Further unpacking age-related differences in mind wandering: The role of emotional valence and meta-awareness. Memory and Cognition

 

 

Zila Martinez-Lozada, PhD, a new faculty member in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, received an ISN Career Development Grant. This grant from the International Society of Neurochemistry supports young investigators to establish themselves as independent researchers. Dr. Martinez-Lozada will use the funds from this grant to investigate the regulation of xCT expression. This protein plays two important roles in brain homeostasis. Imports cystine that is used for the formation of the antioxidant glutathione, and 2. Regulates the concentrations of glutamate, the main excitatory neurotransmitter.