The SPAN lab at Rutgers University, Newark seeks to answer the question of why people respond differently to stress.
In the SPAN lab, we utilize a multilevel integrative approach to examine the mechanisms underlying these differences in stress response.
03/17/2026
Successful SAS symposium on translational approaches to loneliness! A great set of talks from Anita Restrepo, Dr. Matt Southward, Dr. Elizabeth Holly, and our PI Dr. Karen Smith covering a range of topics including how loneliness shapes prosocial behavior, intervention in clinical populations, emergence in early childhood, and impacts on dopaminergic circuitry and reward processing in adolescent mice.
03/10/2026
If you're going to SAS, check out our symposium where we will take a translational and cross-disciplinary perspective towards examining how loneliness impacts affective processing and the implications of these effects for intervention. Friday at 9:45am, with speakers including the SPAN lab PI Dr. Karen Smith, Anita Restrepo from the University of Chicago, Dr. Matt Southward from Ohio State, and Dr. Elizabeth Holly from Rutgers Newark.
Society for Affective Science 2026 Conference Welcome: The Society for Affective Science is thrilled to extend a warm invitation to you for the highly anticipated 2026 SAS Annual Conference. We are eager to welcome you to the vibrant city of Pi…
03/10/2026
Welcome to our Lab! 🧠
12/21/2025
Happy Holidays from the SPAN lab! We wrapped up a fantastic semester with some excellent presentations by our undergraduates and an escape from a shipwreck.
Our New Year’s goal - be better about staying on top of our social media accounts!
06/11/2025
An exciting start to the summer in the SPAN lab - Gaby Rivera Martinez, a rising senior, received a Rutgers Newark Dean's List Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship! The Fellowship will support her summer thesis work examining how loneliness and socioeconomic status influence emotion perception in young children. Congratulations Gaby!!
04/09/2025
Interested in how children's feelings influence how they think about other peoples' emotions and want to help with science? If so, participate in our new study! We are looking for children ages 4 - 7 years old. The study is all online and you can earn up to $60 in gift cards! You can find more information and sign up here:
How are these people feeling? - Children Helping Science This study will take place on a video call, live with a researcher! This study involves five scheduled sessions over the year, each session 2 months apart. Each session should take around 45 minutes to complete. To schedule the first session, click on the “Schedule a time to participate” button ...
03/08/2025
SPAN Lab joined CASA for Children of Essex County this morning to talk about how predictability and safety influence children's experiences of adversity. Had such a great conversation, and it was a wonderful way to start the weekend. Thank you CASA for having us!
The SPAN Lab had our semesterly workshop on psychophysiological theory and methods yesterday. We had fun learning about the two branches of the autonomic nervous system, what they can tell us about the brain and psychological processes, and how we measure them in the lab! And got some great training videos out of it :) What do you know about the autonomic nervous system? Comment below!
10/02/2024
The SPAN lab had so much fun helping our Community and Rutgers Engaged Science Office in crafting decorations for the CASA Essex Harvest Festival this Saturday! Stop by if you can - it should be fun! 🎃👻🍁
09/17/2024
Join us in the SPAN Lab! We will be recruiting a PhD student this cycle. Apply if you are at all interested in questions related to how stress shapes development. Particularly a good fit for students interested in loneliness, emotion, learning, decision making, and psychophysiology.
The SPAN Lab is located within the Department of Psychology at Rutgers University - Newark which places a strong emphasis on graduate training in research. The core research and doctoral training areas include Cognitive, Developmental, Neuroscience, and Social Psychology - we will be accepting students in any of these areas.
Rutgers-Newark is ranked among the top 15 small research universities in America. It is located minutes from New York City, and is situated within a close network of excellent research institutions. New Jersey is also a fantastic place to live - not only offering easy access to New York, but also great outdoors activities.
You can find more info on the lab here (https://sites.rutgers.edu/span-lab/) and the Rutgers Newark PhD program here (https://sasn.rutgers.edu/graduate-program-psychology). Email our director, Dr. Smith, if you have questions!