How do people understand what others are thinking and feeling? How does this relate to the things that people think and feel themselves? These are the critical questions that underlie research on empathy and theory of mind. Research in the Georgetown Laboratory on Social & Affective Neuroscience is directed by Prof. Abigail Marsh and is aimed at understanding aspects of human social interactions and emotional functioning like empathy using cognitive neuroscience methods.

We focus in particular on emotion and on nonverbal communication. Our research includes studies with adolescents and adults, incorporating neuroimaging, cognitive and behavioral testing, and pharmacology techniques.

Currently, we are working on the following projects:

1. The perceptual properties of faces
   

2. Neural function in children and adolescents with disruptive behavior disorders