Research Facilities

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Tap Lab (Trauma and Addiction Project)

The Trauma and Addiction Project (TAP) is a multidisciplinary program of research in the Department of Psychology at the City College of New York.  TAP aims to advance the science of trauma and addiction research by conducting studies on 

  1. the effects of trauma exposures and addiction on the mind and body;
  2. intergenerational trauma and the impact of parental history on child functioning; 
  3. the role of threat-related cognitive processing in the development and maintenance of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and associated interpersonal impairments; and
  4. the efficacy of treatment interventions for co-occurring PTSD and addiction as well as associated psychiatric issues and conditions. 

TAP integrates cognitive, interpersonal, and neurodevelopmental perspectives on traumatic stress and addiction over the lifespan and examines the impact of contextual factors such as race, ethnicity, culture, and socioeconomic status on treatment process and outcome.  

TAP is committed to training and mentoring students, faculty, and researchers and developing institutional infrastructure to support addiction research. TAP is also dedicated to disseminating significant research findings to inform communities of the far-reaching consequences of trauma and addiction for disenfranchised populations and guidelines for effective clinical practice. 

Contact Information

Denise Hien I Principal Investigator
North Academic Center, Room 7/235, 160 Convent Avenue, New York, NY 10031
p: 212.650.5177    I    f:  212.650.7025

 

 

EEG Lab

The Antrobus EEG laboratory, located on the 7th floor of the NAC building, contains equipment to record and amplify electroencephalographic (EEG) signals (brain waves) from the human scalp. Participants are fitted with a comfortable latex recording cap that enables the researchers to collect brain waves from 160 recording sites simultaneously. Participants are seated comfortably in a sound-attenuating chamber and typically are asked to perform simple cognitive tasks, such as identifying sounds or discriminating colors. The laboratory contains sophisticated software that allows researchers to construct a map of brain activity. These maps are useful in pinpointing the temporal and spatial sources of mental functions such as language and attention.

 

 

ARHAMP Lab (The Applied Research on Health & Adaptation of Minority Populations)

The Applied Research on Health & Adaptation of Minority Populations (ARHAMP) Lab investigates environmental and interpersonal factors that relate to the well-being (i.e., academic and job performance, mental and physical health) of at risk or marginalized populations. Projects in the lab investigate the consequences of environmental stressors, and their relation to identity, self-esteem and emotional intelligence, among others.

Research Presentations

  1.  

  2. Vera, O., Zhang, X., Juste, V., & Espinosa, A. (2019). Perceived patterns in multiple choice math tests affect math anxiety and performance. Association for Psychological Science, 31st annual convention, Washington, DC. [Poster]

  3. Espinosa, A., & Yamaguchi, Y. (2019). Emotional intelligence, acculturation and acculturative stress among first generation immigrants. Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues Conference, San Diego, CA [Oral Presentation]

  4. Anglin, D. M., & Espinosa, A. (2019). Emotional self-efficacy, ethnic identity, discrimination and psychotic-like experiences among immigrants. Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues Conference, San Diego, CA [Oral Presentation]

  5. Anthonipillai, N., Tikhonov, A., Sigurjonsson, J., & Espinosa, A. (2019). Compounded stereotype threat and working memory function: Does making the same stereotype salient more than once compound the effects? Society for Personality and Social Psychology Conference, Portland, OR. [Poster]

  6. Espinosa, A. (2018). A discussion on increasing diversity in STEM. 4th Building Bridges conference, Budapest, Hungary. [Oral Presentation]

  7. Espinosa, A. (2018). Longitudinal analysis of discrimination, adaptation and self-esteem among immigrant adolescents. Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues Conference: “Bridges to Justice: Building Coalitions and Collaborations Within and Beyond Psychology”, Pittsburgh, PA. [Oral Presentation]

  8. Tikhonov, A., Juste, V., Espinosa, A., & Anglin, D. M. (2018). The mediating effect of bicultural identity conflict in the relationship between racial discrimination and mental health. Association for Psychological Science, 30th Annual Convention, San Francisco, CA. [Poster]

  9. Anthonipillai, N., Sigurjonsson, J., Polidura, C. & Espinosa, A. (2017). Racial Macroaggressions, Depression, Anxiety and Stress, Emotional Intelligence and Dark Triad Traits. 29th APS Annual Convention, San Francisco, CA. [Poster]

  10. Espinosa, A. (2017). The Structural Composition of Public Opinion about Immigration across Ethnicity. Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues Conference: “Entre los individuos, como entre las naciones, el respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz”, Albuquerque, NM. [Oral Presentation]

  11. Akinsulure-Smith, A. M., Espinosa, A., Chu, T. & Hallock, R . (2017). The Mental Health Consequences of Refugee Resettlement Work: A Pilot Study of Prevalance and Management Strategies. Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues Conference: “Entre los individuos, como entre las naciones, el respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz”, Albuquerque, NM. [Oral Presentation]

  12. Espinosa, A. & Milstein, G. (2016). Analyzing the United States’ Public Attitudes toward Immigration Policy using Latent Class Analysis. Immigration to Major Immigrant-Receiving Countries: Immigrant and Host Perspectives Small Group Conference, Ottawa, Canada. [Oral Presentation]

  13. Espinosa, A., Jorgenson, J., Leung, H. & Powell-Manning, K. (2016). Using mastery-based technology to support student success in math and statistics at CCNY. The Annual Institutional Research & Assessment Council Joint Retreat, CUNY School of Public Health, New York, NY. [Oral Presentation]

  14. Tikhonov, A., Anglin, D. & Espinosa, A. (2016). Ethnic Identity, Family Income, and Race Predict Stress Sensitivity among Immigrants to the US. The 28th Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Chicago, IL. [Poster]

  15. Espinosa, A. & Kadic-Maglajlic, S. (2016). The Moderating Effect of Emotional Intelligence on the Relation between Health Consciousness and Health Behaviors. The 28th Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Chicago, IL. [Poster]

  16. Fante, I. & Espinosa, A. (2016). Emotional Intelligence and Academic Performance: Preliminary Results of a Correlative Study of New York City Public School Students Attending a Community-Based Organization’s After-School Program. The 44th Annual Psychology Convention, Hunter College, New York, NY. [Poster]

  17. Smalls, T., Andjembe, E., Tikhonov, A., Espinosa, A. & Anglin, D. (2016). Microagressions, Ethnic Identity and Anxiety. The 44th Annual Psychology Convention, Hunter College, New York, NY. [Poster]*

  18. Espinosa, A., Tikhonov, A. & Jorgenson, J. (2016). Increasing retention in mathematics courses: The role of self-confidence in mathematics on academic performance. The 21st International Academic Conference of the International Institute of Social and Economic Sciences, Miami, FL. [Oral Presentation]

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Research Publications

  1.  

  2. Espinosa, A. & Kadić-Maglajlić, S. The role of health consciousness, patient-physician trust and perceived physician’s emotional appraisal on medical adherence (in press Health Education & Behavior).

  3. Espinosa, A. (2019). An annotated discussion of a panel presentation on improving diversity in mathematics. Contemporary Mathematics, 732, 47-56.

  4. Tikhonov, A., Espinosa, A., Huynh, Q-L., & Anglin, D. M. (2019). Bicultural identity harmony and American identity are associated with positive mental health in US racial and ethnic minorities. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology. doi: 10.1037/cdp0000268

  5. Espinosa, A., Guerra, R., Sanatkar, S., Paolini, S., Damigella, D., Licciardello, O., & Gaertner, S. (2018). Identity inclusiveness and centrality: Investigating identity correlates of attitudes toward immigrants and immigration policies. Journal of Social Issues, 74(4), 674-699. doi:  10.1111/josi.12293

  6. Espinosa, A. & Kadic-Maglajlic, S. (2018). The mediating role of health consciousness in the relation between emotional intelligence and health behaviors. Frontiers in Psychology: Emotion Science. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02161

  7. Rudenstine, S., Espinosa, A., McGee, A., & Routhier, E. (2018). Adverse childhood events, adult distress and the role of emotion regulation. Traumatology. doi: 10.1037/trm0000176

  8. Rudenstine, S., & Espinosa, A. (2018). Examining the role of trait emotional intelligence on psychiatric symptom clusters in the context of lifetime trauma. Personality and Individual Differences, 128, 69-74.

  9. Espinosa, A., Akinsulure-Smith, A., & Chu, T. (2019). Trait emotional intelligence, coping and occupational distress among resettlement workers. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice and Policy, 11(1), 28-34. doi. 10.1037/tra0000377.

  10. Akinsulure-Smith, A., Espinosa, A., Chu, T., & Hallock, R. (2018). Secondary traumatic stress and burnout among refugee resettlement workers: The role of coping and emotional intelligence.  Journal of Traumatic Stress, 31, 202-212

  11. Espinosa, A., & Rudenstine, S. (2018). Trait emotional intelligence, trauma and personality organization: Analysis of urban clinical patients. Personality and Individual Differences, 123, 176-181.

  12. Espinosa, A. (2018). It’s not what you think: Perceptions regarding the usefulness of mathematics may hinder performance. Journal of Numerical Cognition, 4(1), 235 – 242.

  13. Espinosa, A., Tikhonov, Ellman, L.M., Kern, D., Lui. F, & Anglin, D. M. (2018). Ethnic identity and stress sensitivity among ethnically diverse immigrants. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 20(1), 155-163.

  14. Ruglass, L. M., Espinosa, A., Sykes, K., Shevorykin, A., Nicholson, R., & Dambreville, N. (2018). Direct and indirect effects of cumulative trauma, PTSD, and substance use disorder on history of arrest among lower income African American and Latina women. Race and Justice, 8(2), 126-153. doi: 10.1177/2153368716656917.

  15. Espinosa, A., Ruglass, L. M., Sykes, K., Shevorykin, A., Nicholson, R., & Dambreville, N. (2017). Correlates of child abuse potential among African American and Latina mothers: A developmental-ecological perspective. Child Abuse and Neglect, 70, 222-230.

  16. Espinosa, A. (2016). Trait emotional intelligence, self-confidence and valuation of mathematics: Mediation and moderated mediation analyses of summer versus regular semester students. International Journal of Teaching and Education, 4(2), pp. 23-48. doi: 10.20472/TE.2016.4.2.002.

  17. Espinosa, A., Tikhonov, A. & Jorgenson, J. (2016). Increasing retention in mathematics courses: The role of self-confidence in mathematics on academic performance. Proceedings of the 21st International Academic Conference of the International Institute of Social and Economic Sciences (February), pp. 50-62 (March 13, 2016). doi: 10.20472/IAC.2016.021.012.*

  18. Anglin, D. M., Lui, F., Espinosa, A., Tikhonov, A. & Ellman, L. (2016). Ethnic identity, racial discrimination and attenuated psychotic symptoms in an urban population of emerging adults. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 12(3), 380-390.

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Current Lab Members

   
Adriana Espinosa

Principal Investigator

 

Dr. Espinosa runs the ARHAMP lab. She received a PhD in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley. Her research centers on the role of social and environmental stressors on the health (i.e., physical and mental) and adaptation (e.g., educational and job attainment) of marginalized populations.
Jocelyn Goldberg

Lab Manager

 

Jocelyn is currently completing her M.A in Mental Health Counseling at City College. Prior to this, she earned her B.A. in Psychology at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Jocelyn’s research focuses on paternal care and mental health outcomes in adulthood.
 
   
Older Vera

Project Manager

 

He received his BS in applied mathematics and statistics from SUNY at Stony Brook. Currently, he is a high school equivalency diploma instructor at LaGuardia College and a graduate student pursuing a masters’ in public administration in the Colin Powell School at City College of New York. Older is interested in education research that would improve education outcomes among undeserved communities.
XiangFu (Richie) Zhang

Research Assistant

 

I earned my BS in Psychology from the City College of New York in 2016. My research interests include the role of self-confidence and parenting style on academic performance. I am currently in the process of preparing my application for graduate school to study school psychology.
 
   
Alumni
  

Aleksandr Tikhonov (Lab manager, graduate)

Armando Avila (Research Assistant, undergraduate)

Elvine Andjembe (Research Assistant, graduate)

Fady Gries (Research Assistant, undergraduate)

Isabella Fante (Research Assistant, graduate)

Patrece Davis (Research Assistant, undergraduate)

Samantha Deokinanan (Research Assistant, undergraduate)

Shanzida Islam (Research Assistant, undergraduate)

Troyana Smalls (Research Assistant, undergraduate)

Victoria Juste, (Lab Manager, graduate)

GET INVOLVED

Are you interested in volunteering for our lab and join our team of researchers? Please fill out a Research Assistant Application and we will contact you if we have openings.

 

Last Updated: 05/06/2020 17:54