The interdisciplinary research conducted in the NET Lab is centered on answering the following key questions about the nature of internally-guided cognition:

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1) What are the psychological and neural mechanisms underlying spontaneous and deliberate internally-guided cognition?        

                     

2) What are the factors that determine whether internal thoughts can be helpful versus unhelpful?  

 

3) How are internally-guided processes regulated by top-down control mechanisms, and what is the role of executive function in mind-wandering?

 

4) How do internally-guided processes change throughout the lifespan?

 

5) How do internally-guided processes become dysfunctional in mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety?

 

6) Can we improve the quality of our internally-guided thoughts with interventions such as mindfulness meditation or exercise?

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