Colton received a BS in Psychological Sciences from Northern Arizona University in 2018 and will be entering the University of Kentucky’s Clinical Psychology (Neuropsychology track) in the fall of 2019. Colton is interested in researching the psychophysiological effects of affective states, primarily disgust, and how they can lead to downstream… Read more
Contemplative Psychophysiology Research Group
Paul Plonski Successfully Defends Thesis
Paul Plonski is a graduating master’s student in the Department of Psychological Sciences. Since his arrival at NAU, Paul has set high standards for himself, the integrity of his scientific research, and his peers. He helped to design and lead a randomized controlled trial that explored the effects of mindfulness training on neural markers of emotion regulation and memory among older adults in the Flagstaff community, a project that became the foundation of his thesis. While he could have graduated… Read more
Paul Plonski Defends Thesis on Nov. 8
Paul Plonski, a psychological sciences graduate student in the 2016–2018 cohort, will be presenting his thesis titled “Comparing Satipaṭṭhāna-style Mindfulness and Progressive Relaxation Meditation on Neural Responses to Disgust and Unpleasant Emotion” this week.
His research explores whether brief training in Early Buddhist mindfulness practices, compared to a structurally equivalent progressive muscle relaxation training, will affect a neural marker of emotional arousal (known… Read more