About Us

Who we are

Welcome to the Providence College Human Psychophysiology Lab (PC-HPL) run by Dr. Joanna Morris. Here in the lab we examine phenomena at the intersection of cognitive psychology, linguistics and cognitive neuroscience. We are particularly interested in the structure of words and in the perceptual and cognitive processes involved in reading.

What we do

In our lab run studies using event related potentials or ERPs as our dependent measure.

ERPs are a specific pattern of electrical activity produced in the brain when a person is engaged in a perceptual or cognitive act. There are a number of different ERP components, and different cognitive operations have been associated with each one.

ERPs are uniquely valuable because they provide very precise information about the timing of mental events. As a result, they can yield data about cognitive processes that behavioral measures cannot. In addition, they serve as an important bridge between psychological function and neural structures.