About Us

At MERL, we study the basic science of emotion and motivation in the general population using measures of self-report, psychophysiology, and behavior. We then apply these findings in studies with individuals with various disorders including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression. Currently, our investigations focus on two areas of study: (i) understanding mechanisms in mental health problems and (ii) novel treatments in severe mental illness.

The laboratory is located in the Ethnic Studies and Psychology (EP) building at San Francisco State University.

CURRENT PAID RESEARCH STUDY: 

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 $130 for this study.

Give us a call or email at: (415) 501-0660 | merlsfsu@gmail.com