I am interested in the multiple modes of input that affect social cognition. My research examines how the cognitive, physiological, and behavioural aspects of experience play into the way we perceive and organise knowledge about the social world. My three major lines of research include: (1) cross-group friendship, with an emphasis on experimental approaches; (2) the role of psychophysiological and behavioural feedback in intergroup interactions and perception; (3) intergroup factors in chronic stress and health. To answer these questions, my research simultaneously combines dyadic, psychophysiological, longitudinal, social cognitive, behavioural, self-report, and quantitative methods to provide a comprehensive understanding of the factors that affect social interactions.
Jeff is interested in the formation of identity and how the self continues to be shaped by emotional experiences, cultural mythologies, and the personal narratives of others. Furthermore, he is interested in the influences of emotional sensitivity, metaperception, self-discrepancy, and existential concerns on anxiety and depression. In addition to his role in ESC, Jeff manages Dr. Michael Inzlicht's Social Neuroscience Lab. Thus, he is immersed in research spanning the embodiment of social processes in both the peripheral nervous system (through ESC) and the central nervous system (through the Inzlicht lab). He hopes to pursue graduate studies in psychology in the near future.
Nadine is in her fourth and final year at UTSC, working towards a specialist degree in psychology. She has found her passion working in geriatrics, but has also found a lot of prejudice and misunderstanding between generations. This phenomenon is the basis for her undergraduate thesis in ESC. She plans on investigating the prejudice between generations and how often a person will stand up to a prejudiced remark about someone else.
Jennifer is a thesis student in her final year at UTSC, working towards a specialist in Psychology. She is fascinated with many areas of psychology, including social, personality, and abnormal. She is interested in social cognitive psychology because it impacts everyone on a daily basis. In particular, her interest in social cognitive psychology focuses on the implications and possible ways of reducing prejudice through positive intergroup contact.
Vino is currently in her third year of studies at the University of Toronto Scarborough pursuing an Honours B.Sc. in Psychology and Neuroscience. She has always been fascinated by how prejudice and inequality can affect social interactions between people, and by the internal consequences of such interactions. At ESC, Vino studies the different physiological responses that specific social interactions elicit in individuals, and she is also interested in how anxiety and stress levels vary across race and gender. In the future, Vino hopes to further pursue social psychology and psychophysiological through graduate studies.
Reema is a second year student at the University of Toronto Scarborough campus. She is doing a double major in Neuroscience and Psychology. Reema volunteers at a hospital for the disabled and elderly and she also volunteers for a City Councillor. She is fascinated by the brain and the role it plays in social interactions. She hopes to engage in a wide variety of experiments in her university life and learn more about the mental processes that are related to prejudice, stereotypes and other behaviours. In the future she hopes to work in the medical field and assist people by doing what she is most passionate about.
Shweta is a second year student doing a double major in Integrative Biology and Psychology at UTSC. She is also involved on campus with organizations such as Scarborough Campus Students' Union and The Biology Students' Association. She is interested in studying how stereotypes exist and can be reduced among intergroup interactions. Her role at ESC is to investigate how prejudice exists between generations. In the future, she hopes to further pursue social psychology and further study stereotypical behaviour through graduate studies. Being a part of ESC and working with amazing people who excel in their areas of research is a perfect opportunity to learn more! :)
Jiwon is a second year student specializing in psychology at UTSC. He is strongly driven by the desire to help others through his current volunteer work and future career aspirations. Jiwon plans to continue down the path of research in psychology, ultimately attaining his PhD. His translational research interests focus on psychosocial factors that impact the lives of marginalized populations. At ESC, Jiwon is an Experimenter on multiple projects examining factors that mitigate the effects of stigma and intergroup biases.
Angela is a recent graduate from the University of Toronto with a Specialist in Human Biology and a Major in Psychology. She was always interested in social interaction and how many different factors such as stereotypes, threats and emotional experiences can alter one's actions. This is how she decided to pursue her Psychology post by working under the supervision of Elizabeth Page-Gould and taking on the role of PI in a study where it focuses on people's responses to ageist remarks. Now graduated, Angela is currently the lab manager for both Dr. Michael Inzlicht and Dr. Elizabeth Page-Gould, and hopes to discover and unravel many new and exciting researches and its applications to everyday social interactions. As such, she is excited to be a part of both labs as it allows her to be immersed in research involving both social neuroscience and psychophysiology.
Marian is a fourth year student who is currently completing her H.B.Sc. degree with a double major in Integrative Biology and Psychology, and a minor in health. Her involvement at the ESC lab was sparked with a deep interest to learn more about the realm of social psychology, through the guidance of Professor Page-Gould. She is fascinated with social perception, mainly through observing one’s expression and physiology of emotion. She finds it interesting how social relationships are linked through emotions because of its importance in determining action and belief. Inspired by Dr. Paul Ekman’s work, she is studying the Facial Action Coding System at the lab. She hopes to gain a better understanding of this branch of social psychology, and later delve into microexpressions. Aside from the sciences, she is also passionate about music and can often be found at the music department with the UTSC Concert Choir. Ultimately, she is aspires to become a doctor, but is also interested in pursuing a Masters degree in social psychology to further explore how certain social interactions may affect one's health.
Warda is a 3rd year student doing a double major in Integrative Biology and Psychology at UTSC. Her area of interest is in-group and out-group interactions and factors effecting these interactions such as prejudice, stereotypes, etc. She is also interested in the physiological responses elicited by such interactions. Her future goal is to do graduate school in the field of social psychology.
Tanya is entering her fourth year at UTSC, pursuing a double major program in Integrative Biology and Mental Health studies. She's actively involved with several groups on campus, such as the AccessAbility Outreach team, PACE, and the yearbook club. Being apart of the EMRG team at UTSC has sparked her interest in the dynamic of inter-group relations for people who work closely with one another. She's also interested in the nature of stereotype threat. In the future, Tanya aspires to go into medicine. She feels that her time in the lab will allow her to understand human interactions in greater depth, helping her in the medical field.
Nana is currently finishing up her 3rd year, double majoring in Integrative Biology and Mental Health Studies. The root of her fascination with inter-group relationships and friendships comes from living in NYC, moving to Tokyo, and now residing in Toronto. Her experience and interactions with people across the globe with various cultural backgrounds has made her an observer, curious as to when and under what basis people interact together. Ultimately, she hope not only to learn more about her self, but to also discover what makes people feel embraced by another person or group. She aspires to further her education in graduate or medical school.
Martin is an undergraduate student at UTSC pursuing to become a specialist in mental health with a biology minor. In short, Martin is interested in humans. His favorite novel is Life of Pi and his friends remember him for his spontaneous, random and yet palatable ideas. As a research assistant of the ESC lab and working along side professor Elizabeth Page-Gould, he is excited as a contributor and a humble learner to the forever expanding body of knowledge of the social world.
Maheen Masood is a fourth year student at UTSC and is doing a double major in Neuroscience and Psychology. Her research interests include looking at how cognitive resources affect social interactions with outgroup members. She is also highly interested in looking at the role of stress on outgroup interactions. Aside from volunteering with the ESC, Maheen also works at a doctor's office. In the near future, she plans on going to graduate school to become a Speech Language Pathologist.
Jothi is an undergraduate student in her 3rd year, pursuing an Honours B.Sc Specialist in Mental Health Studies and a Minor in Health Studies. She has always been interested in human behaviour in general, especially in what influences people to act in the ways that they do, with an emphasis on the social aspects that can shape a person’s behaviour. She is interested in the topic of prejudice, most specifically, in the development of attitudes and stereotypes. As well as the impact they can have on how outgroup members are perceived by others. She joined the ESC lab to further her understanding of this, and many other related topics. She hopes to go to graduate school, so that she can eventually become a clinical psychologist.
Hatty is currently in her 4th year at UTSC, working towards the completion of bachelor of science (Psychology specialist) degree. Having the opportunity to work as an undergraduate research at Dr. Page-Gould's lab allows her for the first time throughout her postsecondary education to acquire more about the social-physiological aspect of behaviors in relation to Psychology. In addition to being an undergraduate researcher for Dr. Page-Gould, she also volunteers in AccessAbility center and a nursing home outside of school. She is specifically intrigued by to notion of "self-serving bias" and how it alters to an individual's perception of situations and others who are within their own group vs. Intergroup individuals. Her goal in the near future is to pursue graduate study in the field of Psychology.
Clara is in her last year finishing her B.Sc. in co-op Psychology (Behavioural Disorders Stream). She is intrigued with the interactions within and between cross-group relationships due to her own experiences with moving to many different neighborhoods throughout her life (10 times and counting!). These different environments led people to treat her differently and gave her different opportunities to develop relationships. Ten years from now she hopes to have finished her Masters and PhD in Clinical Psychology, helping children and adolescents in a private clinic or hospital.
Chenthila is a third year student pursuing a Double Major in Integrative Biology and Psychology at the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus. Her interests in psychophysiology are what attracted her to the ESC lab, more specifically, the link between stress (derived from social experiences) and its physiological implications on the body. For the past four years, Chenthila has volunteered at Rouge Valley Centennary Hospital feeding patients incapable of doing so themselves, and is also an executive member of two charity organizations on campus, Right to Play, and Oxfam Canada. Her passion to provide first-hand aid to those in need drives her hopes to someday work in the Public Health sector.
Sandra is a third year student at the University of Toronto Scarborough, pursuing an H.B.Sc. Specialist in Neuroscience and a Minor in French. Sandra is also a part of the Psychology and Neuroscience Departmental Association at UTSC, offering help and advice to students. As her first time working in a lab, Sandra is fascinated by the social-physiological aspect of psychology, as well as her interest in neuropsychology. Her involvement in Dr. Page-Gould’s lab is a great step towards her personal growth and discovery. In the future, Sandra hopes to further her education in Graduate or Medical school.
Kaja is fundamentally interested in language. She is a Ph.D. candidate in Prof. Petitto’s laboratory currently studying neural and genetic bases of language processing. Kaja is also interested in the relationship between physiological response and cognitive processes, specifically language. In the Embodied Social Cognition Lab, she is working a project that examines the link between physiological stress response, working memory and phonological processing. In the Petitto Lab, she is working on projects that examine the patterns of neural activity during bilingual and monolingual children’s language processing and a project investigating the pattern of neural activity of cross- and same-gender conversation partners using functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).
Nikki is currently pursuing her PhD in Social Psychology at York University under the supervision of Dr. Kerry Kawakami. She is currently interested in placing modern accounts of prejudice within a goals framework. She is collaborating with Dr. Page-Gould and Dr. Kawakami on the physiological indices of having made progress on egalitarian goals or the failure to make progress on such goals. A secondary area of research is on how embodied states impact how people perceive of their identities.
Jake is completing his fourth year towards a Specialist in Neuroscience Co-op. His work terms introduced him to the field of Phase I Clinical Trials at a contract research organization. He also worked on research in Structural Proteomics at the University Health Network. Jake’s interest in psychophysiology led him to work at Prof. Page-Gould’s lab, where he hopes to learn more about the techniques used in this field's research. In his leisure time, Jake completes 10km runs and marathons for hospital charities and for his personal goals. He will be pursuing graduate studies in Physiology at U of T, studying the molecular basis of cardiovascular disease.
Julian is currently in his fourth year completing a double major in neuroscience and psychology. He decided to expand into the field of psychology in his third year and is fascinated by its many branches. Right now most of his interest is focused into sparking or inhibiting motivation to maintain physical fitness, and the way academic interest and effort is influenced. He hopes to successfully bring his two majors together and be able to critically think about their connections in various scenarios such as these. In the meantime, he is looking forward to his final year at the university, exploring more in the field of psychology, and focusing on his future endeavors.
Modi is a 3rd year student at the University of Toronto Scarborough, completing an H.B.Sc. degree in the program of Co-op Psychology - Public Opinion and Behaviour stream. When she was in 11th Grade, Dr. Philip Zimbardo took the invitation to deliver a lecture on the Lucifer Effect at her school. Upon attending the lecture, she decided to commit herself to studying how to create social situations and facilitate changes that will bring out the best in people. She aspires to become an organizational psychologist, mainly focusing on conducting work related to employee training and leadership development in the workplace. Being a volunteer in a psychology lab for the first time, Modi is very motivated to learn more about the cross-cultural aspect of psychology. Modi is confident that her involvement in Dr. Page-Gould's lab will allow her to gain valuable hands-on experience that will prepare her for her own independent study in the near future. During her leisure time, Modi enjoys reading, doing traditional Chinese painting, and watching TED Talks on Youtube. She also has a passion for fragrances, musical theatre and extreme sports.
Rameez is in his 3rd year of a Psychology Specialist at the St. George campus, having transferred from York University. His existential crises initially found satiation in studying Political Science and rabble-rousing with activism for a fruitful two years at York. In the summer of 2009 he had the opportunity to undertake summer studies at Harvard University, and came back with his existence taking on a new, meaningful form. He started Psychology at UofT in 2009, set on pursuing it further to a great end, and so it stands today. Rameez also works at the Cognitive Neuroscience Lab with Prof. Ferber (St. George) and volunteers in the Visual Cognition Lab with Prof. Pratt (St. George). His interests, though very diverse, would best be narrowed down to interpersonal cognition and emotions. Aside from Psychology he busies himself with studying Arabic, having spent the summer at the prestigious Al-Azhar University in Cairo in 2010, and founded the Arabic Conversations Club after returning. He is also the Co-Director of Academic Affairs for UofT's MSA. He doesn't sleep much, and is thrilled about working alongside Prof. Page-Gould!
Tanya is currently in her final year at UTSC, double-majoring in psychology and integrative biology. She is interested in studying how humans interact with each other, what causes their actions and specifically how the presence of others can affect one’s performance in various social situations. She is enthusiastic to volunteer in the Embodied Social Cognition lab to better to apply the psychological concepts to real-life situations and further increase her knowledge in the fascinating field of social psychology.
Veerpal is in her second year at the University of Toronto Scarborough - currently Specializing in Psychology, as well as Majoring in Women's Studies. She is delighted and very excited to be volunteering in the ESC lab! She is interested in researching about the circuitous relationship that exists between social interactions and the formation of perceptions (of oneself, the world, and future), attitudes, schemas, and opinions. With regards to the creation of perceptions, she is particularly interested in looking at the development of prejudices and stereotypes. Moreover, she believes that one's beliefs, attitudes, opinions, and perceptions that he/she has of him/herself, others, and the future are applied and affect one's daily social interactions. However, she also feels that there is a "roundabout" relationship – and that one's social interactions also influence, and lead to, the development of certain beliefs, opinions, attitudes, and schemas. More recently, she is also extremely interested in looking at how one associates either positive or negative (personality) characteristics to oneself and to others, based on his/hers, or the other individual's physical appearance. She hopes to research about this phenomenon in more detail!
Anjana Balakrishnan is currently in her second year of undergraduate studies pursuing a Specialist Degree in Psychology at the University of Toronto Scarborough. She is highly enthusiastic and motivated to be volunteering at the Embodied Social Cognition Lab. Anjana is interested in studying the effects of informal hierarchies within friend groups, and the effects of these hierarchies on the relationships between the friends involved. She is also interested in studying the differences between peer cult groups vs noncult groups in terms of the effects of normative conformity on the members of each group. She also wants to further test into the idea that altruism is governed by closeness between group members by seeing how altruism modulates with the closeness of friendships between individuals. She looks forward to working with the other members of the ESC lab and acquiring valuable research experience while offering her aid with current research endeavours as well.
Matthew is currently in his final year completing a specialist degree in mental health studies. His research interests are focused in the areas of prejudice and cross-group friendships. In particular, he has become fascinated with exploring new ways to target negative attitudes displayed towards non-dominant and dominant groups in society. He is currently conducting a thesis project under the supervision of both Prof. Page-Gould and Prof. Inzlicht as further statement of his passion for research. Matthew hopes to further pursue research in the field of social and personality psychology in graduate school and aspires to use the knowledge gained from both perspectives of psychology in further promoting an egalitarian attitude in society.
Ashif is a third year student at the University of Toronto Scarborough, pursuing a double major in Neuroscience and Psychology. The sheer relevance to humanity is the main reason why he was attracted to Dr. Page-Gould’s studies. The interaction between humans is the engine that drives civilization, and a deeper understanding of how we function, how we interact with others, and how these interactions affect our basic day-to-day activities are vital to understanding basic human functioning. Dr. Page-Gould’s research is one that should be, if not already, on the forefront of numerous psychological researchers in the world. The emphasis on the psychophysiological aspect of research especially sparked his interest, as being a double major student in both Neuroscience and Psychology provides him with a knack for not only observational, but also a molecular understanding of behaviour. Evidently, this field of research can provide essential insights into the field of science and psychology, and he would want nothing more out of his undergraduate year than to be a part of it all. In terms of the future, Ashif hopes to pursue graduate studies in a field similar to the research conducted in the ESC, and then apply to medical school sometime in the future.
Deniz is entering his final year studying a major in health studies and double minor in psychology and biology. His goal is to get into medical school and specialize either in psychiatry or infectious diseases. His main interest in the lab is to study the social relationships that take place during prejudice and friendship formations. He believes psychophysiology can be used to find more reliable data on how people react in these two conditions. He hopes the experience he will gain from this lab will help him in his future profession.
Nishchal is currently in his third year of undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto Scarborough pursuing an Honors B.Sc. in Psychology and Neuroscience. In brief, he is curious about humans and why they do what they do. His fascination with the mind and its connection to the brain leads him to where he is today, and he hopes to delve deeper into this curiosity during his time here at the Embodied Social Cognition Lab. Loosely, Nishchal’s main interest lies in abnormal psychology, with a certain affinity towards the clinical manifestation of psychological imbalance. That said, he not only aspires to explore his interest in social psychology through graduate studies, but he also wishes to pursue medical school that will facilitate in fulfilling his ambition of becoming a psychiatrist in the future.
Sanvir is a 4th year student at UTSC currently pursuing a double major in neuroscience and psychology. After taking PSYB10 with Professor Page-Gould, Sanvir became motivated to use what he learned for the betterment of society. His research interests are in the area of prejudice and discrimination along with cross group friendships. Specifically, how discrimination starts and more impotently how it can be prevented and eradicated.
Nancy is a third year student at the University of Toronto Scarborough, pursuing a Specialist degree in Mental Health Studies. She is interested in the fields of social psychology, abnormal psychology, and neuropsychology.
Sabrina is in her final year at the University of Toronto at Scarborough, pursuing an Honours B.Sc. in Mental Health Studies and Philosophy. She has a great interest in abnormal psychology and psychophysiology and enjoys observing the effects that the mind has on the body, and vice versa. She is also a respite worker, specializing in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Sabrina hopes to attend graduate school and further her education and experience in research for psychophysiology.
Jaeger Lam is entering his third year of studies, pursuing a Specialist Degree in Psychology. His interests encompass all psychology with a keen fascination in social and clinical psychology. His main research interests lie in inter-group and interpersonal interactions, and clinical disorders. He is mostly concerned with how negative attitudes are formed and how they affect an individual's interaction with other groups/individuals as well as their mental health. Jaeger hopes to complete his undergraduate degree and eventually pursue a Ph.D in Clinical Psychology.
Jairo is in his third year at UTSC, doing a double major in Neuroscience and Psychology. He is interested in all fields of psychology because he is curious as to how people behave individually and in social settings. Along with volunteering at ESC, Jairo is currently a server, which allows him to observe specific aspects of social interaction on a regular basis. In the future, he hopes to become a physician that provides the best possible care via having a greater understanding of the patient's needs.
Brigitte is currently in her third year at UTSC pursuing a double major in Mental Health Studies and Human Biology. She is interested in the different dynamics of friendship between mixed and same sex individuals. After completing her undergraduate degree, Brigitte hopes to further her education by going into pharmacy or medicine and specializing in psychotherapy.
Nathaniel is a third year student currently completing a double major in Biology and Psychology. He is interested in the social cognitive aspect of psychology due to its relevance in everyday situations. He believes that research in this area can provide insight into bettering society as it uncovers the causes and motivations for behaviour in different scenarios. In the future Nathaniel hopes to attend graduate school, but for now he is excited to be exploring different avenues and being part of the research at ESC.
Divya has just graduated with an Honours BSc degree, specializing in psychology. She would like to pursue a career in social, clinical, neuro, or psychophysiological psychology. She is very fond of working with children and has volunteered at the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Center working with children with disabilities in the therapeutic recreation program. Apart from science, Divya has many interests and hobbies such as dancing professionally, singing, playing the sitar, and arts and crafts.
Christine is a fourth year student at the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus pursuing a double major in Psychology and Health Studies. Due to her high level of enthusiasm and enjoyment for social psychology, Christine wanted to join the Embodied Social Cognition Lab to see what new experiments social psychology has to offer. Currently, Christine is a volunteer in the ophthalmology department at St. Michael’s Hospital and works part-time in the Accounting Department at Don Valley Lexus. After completing her undergraduate degree, she hopes to further her education by attending Graduate School or Medical School
Ifrah is a third-year student at UTSC, pursuing a double major in Neuroscience and Human Biology. What brought her to get involved with the Embodied Social Cognition Lab was her eagerness to learn about social interactions first-hand and how a person’s behaviour can shape other peoples’ view of them. She also hopes to explore how social groups are formed and the effect it has on out-group members, or if someone is socially impaired, how this affects other peoples’ decisions in forming an inclusive or exclusive environment for the person. Besides working with ESC, Ifrah is involved on campus as a peer educator for the Health and Wellness Centre. She also volunteers at a geriatric care centre during the weekends, at Women's College hospital, and with Community Living Toronto as a literacy tutor for the intellectually disabled. In the future, she hopes to unite her passion for neuroscience and human biology and attend graduate school or medical school where she could further develop her knowledge by studying brain abnormalities which prevent children from developing normal social and cognitive skills.
Zaini is a third year student, enrolled in a double major of Integrative Biology and health studies. She is involved with UTSC DSA Biology Student’s Association as an executive. She volunteers at Scarborough General hospital and Arab Community center to help the community. Moreover, she is currently employed by Rogers as Data Administrator and Assistant Trainer. Her keen interest in physiology has kept her involved in Biology but she is really passionate about understanding the social interactions and the psychophysiology. Her fascination with psychophysiology led her to join the super amazing team of ESC, where she hopes to lean more about the techniques used in the lab to measure the physiological responses elicited by social interactions. In the future, she hopes to work in the health care where understanding of people interactions in order to provide health care will be an asset.
Nipuna is a fourth year student, completed his neuroscience major and working on his health studies major. He is interested in incorporating social psychology with neuroscience and will do his best to contribute to the studies that are being conducted in the lab as well as entertain new questions and ideas that evolve from studies.
Mark is entering his fourth year of studies pursuing a Specialist Degree in Psychology. He is interested in areas of social psychology, including prejudice and cross-cultural interactions. Specifically his interests are in relationship formation, inter-group interactions, and ways in which individuals deal with boundaries of their own social group and others. Mark hopes to finish his undergraduate degree and pursue further studies at a graduate level.
Lily is currently in her second year doing a double major in psychology and sociology. She is fascinated by the way people form interactions with one another and not only the individual basis but also how society and others influence these interactions. She believes that by building her academic background and gaining personal experience by working in the lab, it will give her a better understanding of our society and the people in it.
Amanda is a third year student pursuing a doing a double major in mental health studies and health studies. Amanda is interested in learning about various social and individual factors that can affect an individual's everyday life style and alter his/her perceptions and actions. She hopes to use the knowledge and experience that she gains to one day promote positive mental health and make a contribution to the growing understanding of the social world and its effects on the human mind.