Research
Dr. Tsotsoros, a cognitive and developmental psychologist, is newly appointed Assistant Professor in the department of Human Development and Family Science. Dr. Tsotsoros is committed to research across the lifespan. Her work identifies mechanisms of cognition resulting from health and environmental factors. More specifically, Dr. Tsotsoros’ program of research strongly focuses on aging in the neurological, developmental, and psychophysiological correlates of cognition. Funded by the National Institute on Aging, she is currently working on adverse childhood experiences’ role on brain health in the Rhode Island Latina population. She is leading original data collection to understand how adverse events—including experiences of abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction—impact the plasticity (e.g., neurotrophins) and neuropsychological performance (e.g., executive function) of the brain as we age.
In the Healing lab, we use various tools and skill sets in the service of psychological research, such as laboratory stress tasks, biomarker collection and analysis, neuropsychological testing, body composition analyses, and empirically validated questionnaires. Her work is interdisciplinary, involving Psychology, Neuropsychology, Biology, Gerontology, and Nutrition. Dr. Tsotsoros’ research also incorporates societal and genetic factors that play a significant role in physical and mental health.