Welcome to the Reactivity Lab at TCNJ!
Directed by Dr. Joanna Herres
Who We Are
The Reactivity Lab (est. 2017) investigates how emotional reactivity shapes the development and treatment of internalizing disorders such as depression and anxiety.
We are a student-driven research community where collaboration, curiosity, and growth are at the core of everything we do. Our lab has two main goals: to produce high quality and imperative research on emotional reactivity and to develop excellent student researchers.
Our Research
Each year, lab members collaborate on a main project while pursuing their own independent interests.
Past projects include:
- Analyzing vocal pitch as a marker of emotional arousal in suicidal adolescents undergoing either Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT) or an individual non-directive control therapy
- Examining parental responses to distress across development (e.g., childhood & college) and the mediating role of distress tolerance
- Identifying risk factors for PTSD symptoms among students who experienced sexual assault
Current Focus
This school year (2025-2026), the Lab is studying undergraduate emotional well-being more generally, examining the relationship between leisure activities and psychological distress, as moderated by the students’ motives for engaging in these activities, as well as other factors that may be related to students’ psychological well-being.
