The proposed research is designed to provide a stronger scientific understanding of the etiology of harsh discipline and the role of parent and child individual and dyadic regulatory processes as potentially malleable mechanisms that underlie and maintain harsh discipline use. The study involves observations of parents and children in the lab and parent questionnaires over multiple time points.

Participation includes two office visits and one online survey, spread out over two years. The first visit occurs when children are 2-3 years old and then again at 4 years old. At these office visits, parents and children complete tasks and play games together, and parents fill out surveys. We will ask you and your child to wear electrode stickers that attach to the skin to measure heart rate and breathing. We will also ask to collect a small hair sample and a few saliva samples from both you and your child throughout the visit. The office visits take approximately 3 hours each. Later, when children turn 5 years old, parents receive an emailed link to a set of online surveys that can be completed at home. It typically takes about 60 minutes to complete the surveys.

$430

This is a study that will examine the effectiveness of using Art Therapy techniques for improvement and maintenance of self-reported coping skills and symptoms co-occurring with Autism.

The study will last approximately 18 weeks. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups. The assessment only group participants will spend approximately 30 minutes completing online assessments weekly. Participants assigned to the psychoeducational group will meet weekly in person for approximately 45 minutes. Participants assigned to the full art therapy intervention group will meet weekly in person for approximately 1.5 hours. Participants will be asked to complete follow-up assessments at 1 and 3-months after the last week of the assigned group.

The purpose of this pilot study is to test women of color's willingness to participate in web- and laboratory-based assessments of their experiences with adversity, their cognition, indicators of poor mental and physical health, risky behaviors during pregnancy, and how they cope with stressful situations. If participants have a 3-to-5-year-old child, we will also ask if they would like their child to participate in various thinking games and biological data collection. If so, we will also assess their preschool-aged child's willingness to participate in various protocols, comprehension of protocol instructions, and ability to complete various tasks.

There will be one in-person visit to the Biobehavioral Health building to collect: -Questionnaires -Height, weight, and waist circumference -Blood pressure -Complete a challenge task -Cognitive tasks -Heart rate monitoring Participants will be asked to complete 7 days' worth of daily assessments on their phone after their in-person study visit. After completing the daily assessments, participants may be selected to participate in a follow-up interview about their experiences throughout the study. Participants will be compensated for their participation in all three portions of the study (in-person visit, daily assessments, and follow-up interview).

$88

The overarching goal of this research is to adapt, optimize, and pilot a transdiagnostic sleep and circadian intervention so that its contents and delivery are effective and sustainable for autistic adolescents

Participants will complete assessments at two time points and engage in a 6 week behavioral sleep intervention with a trained clinician.

$75.00

This study will test whether playing pickleball, a fun and easy-to-learn paddle sport, can improve physical coordination and reduce core autism symptoms in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Participants will be placed in either an early start group or a delayed start group using a delayed control trial design. The early start group will attend two 90-minute pickleball classes per week for the first 8 weeks and then resume regular activities for the next 8 weeks. The delayed start group will continue regular activities for the first 8 weeks and then transition into the pickleball classes for 8 weeks. All participants will complete pickleball skill assessments at their first and last class to measure improvement, and three testing sessions during the study will assess sensory-motor processing, autism symptoms, mental health, and quality of life. By comparing the two groups, this study aims to determine whether pickleball supports better physical and emotional health for autistic adults and whether it can help participants feel more confident, connected, and engaged in social settings.

Participants will attend two or three in-person testing sessions (baseline, mid-study, and post-study) where they will complete surveys and a videogame-based sensory-motor assessment. They will also participate in two 90-minute coach-led pickleball classes per week for 8 weeks. Pickleball skill assessments will be completed during their first and last pickleball class.

$100

This study aims to support midlife adults by enhancing their emotional well-being and reducing psychological stress, which may affect cardiometabolic health. We are evaluating a novel 4-week program that integrates three components—emotional well-being–enhancing writing, chair-assisted squats, and slow-paced breathing—using a factorial design. Eighty adults aged 40–65 with a sedentary lifestyle will be randomly assigned to one of eight groups that include different combinations of these activities. Participants will engage in their assigned activities via Zoom five times per week over four weeks. Emotional well-being and stress will be assessed through self-report at multiple time points, and physiological health (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, heart rate variability, inflammation) will be measured during in-person visits before and after the program. The study will also evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of each intervention component and their combinations.

Participants will engage in a four-week program involving three components: EWB-enhancing writing exercises, chair assisted squat, and slow-paced breathing. They will complete these activities five times per week, with each session lasting 30 minutes.Participants will undergo cardiovascular assessments at Penn State University’s Biobehavioral Health (BBH) Building at baseline and post-intervention. These assessments will include heart rate variability measured via a standard three-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) and continuous blood pressure measured non-invasively using a finger cuff device that captures beat-to-beat waveforms.

$300

This research is being done to investigate the effect of human-machine interface design on promoting driver situation awareness restoration and effective human-AI collaboration under varied takeover situations.

You will complete a set of questionnaires and evaluate the design of the automated driving system by driving on a driving simulator. During the drive, you will be asked to drive in automated mode and focus on tasks unrelated to driving until the system issues a takeover request. The form of the takeover request will change in the experiment. You will be wearing eye tracking glasses while performing the driving task. After the driving tasks, you will complete questionnaires about your perception of the system.

$10/hour

The objective of this study is to pilot test a text-message and electronic delivered educational intervention, Ready, Set Recharge focused on the mental health benefits of physical activity ( PA) in undergraduate students at Penn State University.

Participants interested in participating in this study will be directed to complete a pre-program survey that will take less than 30 minutes to complete. After completion of the survey, participants will be enrolled in the program which is 8 weeks in duration. The program is entirely online and participants will be sent weekly text messages with links to content to read about physical activity and mental health. Participants will also be taught strategies they can try to increase their physical activity behavior in their own life. Participants will compete weekly surveys that take less than 5 minutes to complete. At the end of the 8-weeks, participants will complete a post-program survey that will take less than 30 minutes to complete.

$25

This study aims to examine differences in physiological variables (inflammation and heart rate variability) at different menopausal stages and whether these differences influence depression symptomatology. There will be one 3.5-4 hour in person study visit that includes completion of questionnaires, cognitive tests, electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings, and one blood draw.

There will be one 3.5-4 hour in person study visit that includes completion of questionnaires, cognitive tests, electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings, and one blood draw. If you are in the early perimenopausal/late reproductive group and still having menstrual periods, you will be asked to record menstrual bleeding on a menstrual calendar for 3 cycles.

75

This study examines whether night-shift healthcare workers who experience greater differences in their sleep timing between days off and after night shifts also report poorer sleep quality. Participants will complete a brief anonymous online survey about their typical sleep patterns and overall sleep quality.

Complete a one-time anonymous online survey (5-10 minutes) about sleep patterns and sleep quality. Survey includes questions about typical sleep times on days off and after night shifts, plus brief demographics and work information.

This is a usability study that will evaluate how allied health, education and technology professionals perceive a new virtual therapy environment designed for children with autism spectrum disorder. Participants will experience a guided session using a virtual reality headset. Some participants will experience the VR session with an additional wearable vest that provides gentle vibration feedback, while others will use the VR system without the vest. Assignment to these conditions will be random. After the VR session, participants will complete questionnaires about usability, immersion, and any discomfort. The goal is to improve the tool before it is used in clinical settings.

There will be only one on-site meeting with one hour of duration. Participants will take part in an 25 minutes immersive experience in a virtual environment (with or without a wearable vibration vest, depending on random assignment); and complete one questionnaire before, and four questionnaires after the experience.

$30 Amazon gift card

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of lifetime self-report physical activity behavior on current cognitive and mental health status in populations of different ages through the lifespan. We will use a digital survey to obtain physical activity behavior reports, including intensity, duration, and physical activity type during several periods of each participant's life, and utilize online cognitive tests and mental health questionnaires to obtain current mental health and cognitive capacity.

Participants will complete an anonymous online survey that asks about their physical activity trends across their lifetime and their current mental health status. The survey will also direct the participants to several brief online cognitive tests. The survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. Participants who complete the survey will have the opportunity to fill out a separate form to be entered (via email address) into a drawing to win a $100 prize.

$100 compensation drawing entry

This is a quantitative study investigating the relationship between family functionality, substance use, and mental health among a population of emerging adults.

You will take a brief survey.

This study explores whether simple digital activities, such as watching short videos and answering easy questions, can help researchers understand early changes in memory, attention, and language. Participants will complete these tasks on a tablet, computer, or smartphone, either independently or with support. The study does not diagnose any condition. The goal is to learn whether everyday digital behaviors can provide early, low burden signals of cognitive change in older adults.

Participants will watch short and long videos on a tablet, computer, or smartphone and answer simple multiple-choice and short-answer questions about each video. They may also provide brief written or spoken explanations. The session takes about 20 to 40 minutes and can be completed independently or with researcher support. An optional second session may be completed after two to six weeks.

This study aims to understand how parents make decisions about enrolling their child in an early phase or precision medicine cancer clinical trial. We will explore parents’ decision-making process, values, goals, and views of risks and benefits, as well as their psychosocial outcomes. Participants will be asked to complete a set of questionnaires, and they may choose to take part in an optional interview to discuss their decision-making in more depth. Please note that parents whose child was offered a upfront standard of care clinical trial at diagnosis (i.e., a phase III trial comparing treatments that are already accepted and evidence-based, rather than novel or experimental agents) are not be eligible to participate.

This study entails completing an anonymous questionnaire asking items related to you and your child’s demographic information, how you are doing on key psychosocial outcomes (e.g., psychological distress, anxiety, depression), your perceived moral obligation, your emotional expressivity and authenticity, your coping style, your level of trust in the provider, and your perceived social support. This survey may take up to 1 hour to complete. At the end of the questionnaire you will be asked if you would be interested in participating in a one-time 30-60 minute conversation to provide a more in depth discussion on these topics. If you are interested, a study team member will reach out to you to provide more information and have you sign a separate consent form for that part of the study.

This study examines how physical health and emotional well-being differ across ages in children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer, cancer survivors, and individuals without a history of cancer. The goal of the study is to better understand how experiences such as fatigue, pain, sleep, physical activity, mood, anxiety, and quality of life vary at different ages and at different points in the cancer journey (during treatment versus after treatment), and how factors like treatment intensity and family resources may influence these experiences. Participants will be asked to complete a set of online questionnaires about their physical health, daily functioning, and emotional well-being. No medical procedures or treatments are involved.

Participants will be asked to complete a set of online questionnaires about their physical health, daily functioning, and emotional well-being. No medical procedures or treatments are involved. The questionnaires will take approximately 45 minutes to complete. - For children aged between 2 and 7 years old, we ask that parents report on behalf of their child. - For children/adolescents aged between 8 and 17 years old, we ask that they complete the survey themselves. Parents may also report on behalf of their child if the child is unwilling or unable to complete the survey themselves. - For young adults aged between 18 and 24 years old, we ask that they complete the survey themselves. Parents may not complete the survey on their behalf.

Sleep and circadian problems are associated with deleterious social, emotional, and cognitive outcomes, yet are modifiable. This prospective study will adapt, optimize, and test an empirically supported behavioral intervention that addresses common sleep and circadian problems of autistic adults, who are at increased risk for mental health disorders, using a transdiagnostic approach. The knowledge gained from this study will address a critical need for accessible transdiagnostic sleep interventions for autistic adults, who experience a broad range of sleep and circadian problems at high rates and often lack access to specialty care treatment.

You will need to complete self-report assessments at baseline and post-treatment, as well as collect data at home for 2 weeks by wearing a physical activity monitor on your wrist, and completing sleep diaries (short questionnaires) each day. You will also need to complete 6 weekly 50 minute sessions delivered individually by trained clinicians. You will also complete a 30-minute semi-structured interview at post-treatment with the study coordinator.

$75.00

This study examines how participation in sports fandom as a leisure activity shapes social connection and experiences of belonging. Through interviews and optional reflective diaries, the research explores how fans interact with others, build relationships around shared team identities, and understand the role of fandom in their everyday social lives. The goal is to better understand how leisure-based fan communities may help reduce feelings of loneliness and social isolation.

Participants will complete a 60–90 minute interview about their experiences as fans of the Philadelphia Eagles and/or Philadelphia Phillies to explore how fandom relates to their social interactions and leisure activities. Participants may also choose to complete an optional 4–6 week fan experience log, where they briefly note fandom-related activities or interactions (for example watching games with others, attending events, or participating in fan discussions).

The GAME-ONc Study aims to explore how video games can support teens and young adults going through cancer treatment. We will talk with adolescents and young adults with cancer, their parents, and healthcare providers to better understand what emotional, social, and practical challenges young people face during treatment, and how a video game intervention might help. The study will also ask participants what kinds of game features they’d like to see, such as whether the game should be single-player or involve someone else, what topics it should include (like coping strategies, health behaviors, or ways to connect with others), and how to make it easy and enjoyable to use. Ultimately, the feedback from this project will guide the design of a video game prototype tailored for teenagers and young adults with cancer, setting the stage for future testing and development.

Participants will complete a brief demographic and gameplay preferences questionnaire and then take part in a one-time focus group session (approximately 1-1.5 hours) conducted via Microsoft Teams or in person. During the focus group, participants will discuss psychosocial needs of adolescents and young adults with cancer and share their opinions on desired features, content, and usability of a proposed video game intervention. The session will be audio and video recorded for research purposes.

100

We are developing a tool to help parents of young children practice communication, relationship building, and listening skills.

This is an online study where parents will be asked how they might verbally respond to common situations that come up in everyday life. Participants will also complete questionnaires on their and their child's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

$100 maximum