Welcome!

About Our Lab

The Human Emotions Research Laboratory (HERL) integrates aspects of clinical, social, personality, and developmental psychology with more traditional approaches to criminology. HERL is currently home to undergraduate, doctoral, and post-bacc students as well as two faculty advisors. In the past 20 years, over 300 undergraduate and graduate students have gained hands-on research experience in our lab with diverse methods, including correlational, longitudinal, experimental, and autobiographical narrative approaches. We all share a dedication to understanding experiences within the criminal legal system and improving the treatment and lives of those involved in it. We also share a passion for understanding psychological phenomena more broadly, and conduct research with diverse populations including children and families, college students, and currently or formerly incarcerated people.