ABOUT

Welcome to the Lab of Dr. E. Samuel Winer, Associate Professor of Psychology at the New School for Social Research in New York City. Here we investigate performance-based and self-report predictors of psychopathology and dysfunction, with programmatic emphasis on depressed persons’ processing of prospectively rewarding stimuli. Funding from the National Institute of Mental Health helps us to pursue this research, which is guided by Reward Devaluation Theory. Our ultimate goal is to better understand, identify, and treat individuals who are depressed, anxious, or approaching psychological crisis. Our program of research has also been a vocal proponent of the use of network theory in clinical psychology.  Network theory is an approach to clinical psychology that uses an advanced set of statistical analyses and conceptualizes symptoms of psychopathology as part of complex interactive causal systems. This is a radical departure from traditional conceptualizations that privilege essential internal entities that cause symptoms to occur. 

Research Topics

Reward Devaluation Theory

Reward Devaluation Theory is one of the Lab’s central topics. Reward devaluation can be defined as avoidance of positive stimuli, “not simply as a lack of valuing positive information, but as an active process of inhibition of rewarding stimuli,” (Winer & Salem, 2016). Our lab is interested in why depressed individuals may actively avoid reward and happiness, and how this may differ from traditional conceptions of depressive symptoms.
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Anhedonia

Anhedonia is a loss of energy, interest, or pleasure. It is often considered a symptom of clinical depression. Our research strives to better understand anhedonia, considering how best to define and measure it, its relationship with suicidality, and its clinical implications.
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Network Analysis

Network analysis is a statistical technique examining interactions typically used to analyze social networks. However, this technique can also be applied to psychological data. This is a novel approach to understanding the complex relationships among psychological constructs or symptoms, compared to viewing them solely through the linear lens of causality.
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Lab News

Congratulations to Dr. Winer & Michael Gallagher on their recent feature discussing Reward Devaluation in The Washington Post!

Upcoming Conferences & Events

APS Convention
May 23-26, 2024
San Francisco, CA

Recent Publications

Self-Referential Processing and Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

A network analytic investigation of avoidance, dampening, and devaluation of positivity

When hope springs a leak: Aversion to positivity as a key to understanding depressed persons

Does grit protect against the adverse effects of depression on academic achievement?

What is distress tolerance? Presenting a need for conceptual clarification based on qualitative findings

Longitudinal and experimental investigations of implicit happiness and explicit fear of happiness

Individuals fearing positivity do not perceive positive affect treatments as strong fits: A novel experimental finding and replication

Recalling Self-efficacious Memories Reduces COVID-19-Related Fear

Using theory to guide exploratory network analyses

Negative self-schemas and devaluation of positivity in depressed individuals: A moderated network analysis