Inspired by the Communication Neuroscience Lab's brain-as-predictor approach, I am interested in understanding how momentary similarity to key neural patterns can predict receptivity to messaging. In this project, I used a large fMRI dataset to identify patterns of neural activity that differentiate judgments of valence from judgments of self-relevance. I then look at how participants' trialwise neural similarity to these patterns in a separate fMRI health message task predicts their receptivity to those health messages.
Working with the Communication Neuroscience Lab, I am interested in understanding how different kinds of messaging shape the way we support one another during the COVID-19 pandemic. I'm particularly interested in factors like dispositional victimhood, empathy, and prosocial behaviors that benefit public health.