{"id":1356,"date":"2021-04-01T13:20:53","date_gmt":"2021-04-01T17:20:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gaba2.psych.ryerson.ca\/psychlabs2\/spplab\/?page_id=1356"},"modified":"2025-08-30T11:42:24","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T15:42:24","slug":"research","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/psychlabs.torontomu.ca\/madlab\/research\/","title":{"rendered":"Research"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Research<\/b><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Research in the MAD Lab uses behavioural experiments, self-report measures, and physiological methods (EEG, eye tracking) to study how motivation and emotion affect cognitive processes in younger and older adults. Current studies in the lab fall into three broad themes.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Curiosity and information seeking<\/b><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Our lab studies epistemic curiosity, the drive to seek new information. While curiosity’s role in childhood is well-known, we are exploring how it changes across adulthood and aging. Using methods like eye-tracking and brain imaging, we are investigating how prior knowledge and the value of information influence curiosity in adults of all ages. Our goal is to understand how curiosity impacts memory and daily behaviour. This research will help create new technologies that support lifelong learning.\u00a0 This line of research is supported by a Discovery Grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Human-AI interaction<\/b><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Our lab explores how people from different backgrounds interact with and benefit from Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI). In one project, we are studying how younger and older adults use and trust GenAI chatbots. We want to understand what influences their decisions to take advice from AI, especially when compared to advice from other people. This line of work is supported by an Insight Development Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)<\/a>. In a second project, we are working with newcomers to Canada to see how they use AI tools to find jobs. We are investigating their experiences with these tools and developing new training programs to help them use AI responsibly and effectively, ultimately improving their job-seeking success. This project is a collaboration with Skills for Change<\/a>, and is supported by Bridging Divides<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Prosociality<\/b><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Prosociality is defined as thoughts and actions aimed at improving the welfare of others and is expressed in a wide range of real-world behaviours, such as charitable giving, informal helping, volunteering, and other forms of civic engagement. Research in psychology and allied disciplines shows that older adults are more likely than younger adults to engage in these behaviours, and to hold opinions and beliefs that prioritize collective well-being. However, our understanding of the development of prosociality is still very limited. Current research in the MAD Lab examines the role of resources, motivations, and future thinking patterns in age-related changes in prosocial behaviour. This line of work is supported by an Insight Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Research Research in the MAD Lab uses behavioural experiments, self-report measures, and physiological methods (EEG, eye tracking) to study how motivation and emotion affect cognitive processes in younger and older adults. Current studies in the lab fall into three broad themes. Curiosity and information seeking Our lab studies epistemic curiosity, the drive to seek new […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"page-builder","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1356","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/psychlabs.torontomu.ca\/madlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/psychlabs.torontomu.ca\/madlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/psychlabs.torontomu.ca\/madlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/psychlabs.torontomu.ca\/madlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/psychlabs.torontomu.ca\/madlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1356"}],"version-history":[{"count":161,"href":"https:\/\/psychlabs.torontomu.ca\/madlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1356\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4428,"href":"https:\/\/psychlabs.torontomu.ca\/madlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1356\/revisions\/4428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/psychlabs.torontomu.ca\/madlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}