Research Areas
Emotion Dysregulation in Bipolar Spectrum Disorders
Bipolar spectrum disorders are characterized by significant mood dysregulation in the form of manic, hypomanic, mixed, and depressive episodes. Much of the extant literature has concentrated on outcomes of these more prolonged states of diminished and/or elevated mood. However, people at risk for and with bipolar spectrum disorders also may experience emotion dysregulation at a more granular time scale (moment-to-moment; day-to-day) outside the context of mood episodes. Dr. Sperry is widely recognized for her work characterizing the temporal dynamics of emotional disturbances across the bipolar spectrum (Sperry & Kwapil, 2019, Journal of Affective Disorders; Sperry & Kwapil, 2020, Emotion) and has shown that instability of positive and negative affect may prospectively predict later development of bipolar spectrum disorders (Sperry, Walsh, & Kwapil, 2020, Journal of Affective Disorders). Further, Dr. Sperry has begun to examine how such instability may be related to behavioral, cognitive, and sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances across the bipolar spectrum (e.g., Sperry & Kwapil, 2021, Behavioral Sleep Medicine). The etiology, prediction, and intervention of emotional disturbances in bipolar spectrum disorders is a major line of inquiry of the EmoTe Lab.
Temporal Dynamics of Emotion
People can be captured by how they feel on average. However, emotions are dynamic. The patterns and fluctuations of people’s emotions away from their core affect tells us something about how they react to their environment and internal or external stimuli. How can we best capture this dynamic phenomenon? One way that affective scientists propose to do so is through the measurement of emotion dynamics in real-world contexts using ecological momentary assessment (EMA)/experience sampling methodology (ESM). This type of data collection results in ecologically valid time series data, allowing for the estimation of both within-person and between-person variability in contextualized and dynamic processes. Dr. Sperry has published on methodology and statistical approaches for measuring emotion as a dynamic phenomenon (Sperry & Kwapil, 2021, Motivation and Emotion) and how they relate to basic emotion processes (Sperry & Eckland, 2021, Emotion).
Emotion-based Impulsivity
Impulsivity is a core feature of many forms of psychopathology, including bipolar spectrum disorders. Dr. Sperry’s work has examined a particular facet of impulsivity, namely, emotion-based impulsivity which can be captured by Whiteside & Lynam’s (2001) negative and positive urgency and Carver and colleagues (2008) Reflexive Responding to Emotion (RRE). Urgency reflects a dispositional tendency to engage in impulsive or rash action in response to heightened positive or negative affect. Carver and colleagues (2008) expanded upon this model to propose the Reflexive Responding to Emotion (RRE) framework which suggests that individuals may engage in ill-advised action or inaction in response to strong emotions in the face of poor cognitive control. Dr. Sperry’s work has focused on capturing and understanding emotion-based impulsivity as a dynamic process that unfolds in real-world momentary situations. Specifically. her work characterizes within-person emotion-based impulsivity using EMA/ESM methods and statistical modeling approaches such as multilevel modeling and dynamic structural equation modeling (Sperry et al., 2015, Personality and Individual Differences; Sperry, Sharpe, & Wright, 2021; Journal of Abnormal Psychology). In addition, Dr. Sperry's work has investigated the convergence and divergence of negative and positive urgency in daily life highlighting that these constructs are best accounted for by an overall urgency factor (Sperry, Lynam, & Kwapil, 2019; Journal of Personality).
Other core areas of Interest:
Psychiatric Nosology and Dimensional Classification Systems
Cognitive Control and Cognitive Deficits in Bipolar Spectrum Disorders