Want to participate in research?

Read about our current studies below and contact us here if interested!

Brain Activation in Social Situations

We are looking for adults without a mental health diagnosis as well as people with a diagnosis of: Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective disorder, or a mood disorder with psychosis.

We are interested in studying the way people interact with others, and how this may be related to brain activity, mood, and thinking patterns. Participants will come in-person to Boston University for two visits. The first visit will last approximately 4 hours, and you will answer questions about your mood and social interactions through interviews with a researcher and questionnaires on a computer. You will also complete some tasks, both on a computer and on paper. The second visit will last approximately 1 hour and will consist of an MRI scan. Although we do not anticipate any adverse risks in this study, you may experience some discomfort when answering questions or competing the tasks. You would be paid $15 per hour of participation completed, and $20 for the MRI scan.

Smartphone Sensing of Social Activity

We are looking for people with a diagnosis of: Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective disorder, Bipolar I disorder, or Major Depressive Disorder with psychosis.

Our research team is interested in understanding ways to support social connection. We often use mobile technology, like smartphone applications, to understand the social worlds of people with and without mental health concerns. This study uses mobile phone-based sensors to passively measure levels of social activity and involves 2 in-person visits and 14 days of short daily surveys. Participants do not need a smartphone to participate. Participants will be compensated up to $100 for this study.

Smoking Cessation

We are looking for adults who smoke and have a diagnosis of Schizophrenia or Schizoaffective disorder.

We are conducting research to better understand smoking behavior and are interested in seeing if a mobile application can help people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder participate in more activities that they find meaningful and reduce their time spent smoking cigarettes. participation in this study involves two study sessions in-person at Boston University. After your first visit, you will use the mobile application at home and in your daily life for 14 days answering questions and logging your activities. The second visit will take place after the 14-day trial period. You will be paid up to $100 for your time participating in the form of an Amazon gift card.

Heart Rate Study

We are looking for people with a diagnosis of Schizophrenia or Schizoaffective disorder without a pre-existing heart condition.

We are interested in learning about how people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder feel about their social relationships, and how this may be related to heart activity. The study will occur over 5 days and participants will be asked to make 2 study visits to our research lab at Boston University. You will use a smartphone application for five days in between your two study visits to answer brief survey questions. You may be compensated a maximum of $120 for completing all parts of the study.

Social Thoughts and Relaxation

We are looking for people with a diagnosis of Schizophrenia or Schizoaffective disorder without a pre-existing heart condition.

We are interested in learning about how people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder feel about their social relationships, and how they may respond to different relaxation techniques. The study will occur within one visit that will take place at our research lab at Boston University and will last a maximum of 3 hours. You will be asked questions about your health, mood, and recent social interactions during this lab visit. You may be compensated a maximum of $65 in the form of gift cards for completing all parts of the study.