I'm an Associate Professor in the Psychology Department at Cornell University. At the broadest level, I'm interested in the understanding the cognitive and affective processes that regulate behaviors within close relationships, and how understanding such processing dynamics can account for (1) differences between people and (2) differences in how a given person's experiences varies over time and across situations. I approach the study of the individual and his or her relationships from a multilevel, interdisciplinary perspective that bridges the study of attachment processes with research on executive control and self-regulation. Most important, I seek to integrate this research within a unifying framework (Zayas, Shoda, & Ayduk, 2002).
For the last ten years, my "other life" has involved chasing a plastic flying disc on grassy fields (also known as playing Ultimate Frisbee). I currently play for the Boston, MA based team Brute Squad. I started playing Ultimate with the Cornell Roses, Cornell's Ultimate Club team, when I was an undergraduate at Cornell.

• Psychology Department Faculty Home Page
• Barnard Toddler Study
• Cornell Wild Roses

• Implicit Relationship Processes
• Interpersonal Emotion Regulation
• Belonging
• Active Learning and Teaching

My research in the PAC Lab examines how implicit partner attitudes shape experiences in close relationships. Outside of the lab, I spend most of my time developing, implementing, and assessing new active learning opportunities that are engaging and cognitively challenging in Cornell's Introduction to Psychology and Introduction to Personality courses. I also utilize the classroom as a unique testing environment for social psychology research. In one study under development, I aim to test the effect of receiving a supportive message from close others nominated as effective anxiety regulators vs. close others who were not nominated on emotional coping and exam performance.

Outside of the lab, I enjoy camping and backpacking, volleyball, softball, woodworking, painting, and hanging out with friends over some scotch or an IPA.

• Attachment system and its activation, and cognitive performance under attachment related stress
• Adaptive functions of attachment insecurity in cultural context
• Implicit predictors of relationship functioning

At the moment I am working on two projects. One is an extension of my doctoral work where I looked at the potential adaptive functions of insecure attachment in the collectivist Turkish culture, now I am exploring how the proposed functionalities unfold in the individualist American culture. In my other line of work, I investigate which implicit measures of partner attitudes are more reliable assessments of relationship outcomes by employing a longitudinal design.

I am greatly enjoying getting to know Ithaca. I am particularly fascinated by the amazing nature here, so I try to make sure I hike and cycle whenever I get the chance.

• Close Relationships
• Motivation
• Self-Regulation

I am investigating how expressions in close relationships (especially negative expressions) motivate people to make relationship-improving changes. Specifically, I am currently examining whether expressions of disappointment in romantic relationship serve a functional, relationship promoting role. On the other hand, I am developing and validating a behavioral measure of delay of gratification task for adults.

Outside the lab, I enjoy listening to music, doing Yoga and reading novels.

• Close relationships
• Emotion Regulation
• Health and well-being

My research in the PAC Lab investigates how subtle reminders of one's partner provide affective regulatory benefits prior to a stressful event.

Outside of the lab, I enjoy cooking, embroidery, and hiking.

• Social exclusion
• Intrapsychic and interpersonal emotion regulation
• Attachment, attachment behavior, and attachment networks
• Social regulatory functions of emotions

I study what happens when you are the beneficiary of an exclusive act (e.g., when you are included at the expense of a rejected other). Additionally, I am working on a project that examines how perceptions of research findings change depending on how they are presented. Lastly, I am beginning to study how our attachment needs are met throughout our social networks and how we socially regulate emotions.

In my free time, I enjoy going to concerts and supporting the California Golden Bears and Cornell Big Red. I have a pet cat named Cucumber.

• The development of learning motivation
• Readiness to learn and its neural underpinnings
• Social and environmental factors in learning performance

I am currently working with Professor Zayas pursuing my research interest in relationships and “learning readiness.” My research focuses on the development of learning motivation, readiness to learn and its neural underpinnings, and how social and environmental factors can be used to close societal gaps in learning performance.

I am a proud husband, and father of three boys, and love spending time with my family, playing music, playing soccer, and supporting my community. I am a musical contributor to a Grammy-nominated children's album supporting healthy local school food programs, a recent president of my children's elementary school PTA, and over the past 10 years have coached or led discussions with thousands of youth across Pennsylvania and New York in the areas of STEM learning, leadership, and healthy physical activity.

• Social exclusion
• Social alignment
• Social emotion regulation
• Neuroscience research methods

I enjoy cooking, taking photographs, and reading novels.

• Social judgement and decision-making
• Interpersonal relationship formation & compatibility
• Communication
• Personalities

I am interested in social decision making; specifically, how we perceive others’ behaviors and interpret their intentions, then how we approach people or make decisions within the social contexts, such as initiating a conversation, choosing a friend, building our social networks, etc. As the first step, I am working on my master’s thesis "Do You See Me? Do You Know Me?", examining the moderating role of facial attractiveness in hiding information and the result of negative impressions.

I like music; I write songs and used to play with my band in California. I also enjoy doing outdoor activities, such as camping, backpacking, and hiking