Jamie Hanson

Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychology

Research Scientist, Learning Research & Development Center

Lab

http://www.lifelab.pitt.edu

Education and Training

PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Research Interests

My research focuses on how children and adolescents learn about their environment, how brain circuitry involved with learning may be impacted by early life stress, and how these brain changes may confer risks for negative outcomes. Through the use of structural and functional MRI, my research aims to learn about the impact of stress on neurobiology through a focus on two different forms of behavior. First, I have explored how early life stress may increase risk for disruptive behavioral problems through alterations in the brain. Second, I have focused on how early life stress may convey risk for depression. Through a series of studies, I have found that the risks for different forms of psychopathology associated with early life stress are conveyed by specific alterations in brain circuitry responsible for reward and socio-emotional information processing. This research program includes longitudinal assessments of individuals at multiple levels of analysis, including neurobiology, family functioning, and developmental history.

Recent Publications

Nweze,T., Ezenwa, M., Ajaelu, C., Hanson, J.L., & Okoye, C. (2023) Cognitive variations following exposure to childhood adversity: Evidence from a pre-registered, longitudinal study. eClinicalMedicine.

Hanson, J.L. 2022. There are many reasons that people succeed in academia. In: Madan, C.R. (eds) Academia and the World Beyond. Springer, Cham.

Norbom, L. B., Hanson, J., van der Meer, D., Ferschmann, L., Røysamb, E., von Soest, T., ... & Tamnes, C. K. (2022). Parental socioeconomic status is linked to cortical microstructure and language abilities in children and adolescents. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 101132.

Sequeira, S.L., Forbes, E.E., Hanson, J.L.,  & Silk, J.S. (2022). Positive valence systems in youth anxiety development: A scoping review. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, Volume 89, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2022.102588. 

Barry, K.R., Hanson, J.L., Calma-Birling, D., Lansford, J.E., Bates, J.E., & Dodge, K.A. (2022). Developmental connections between socioeconomic status, self-regulation, and adult externalizing problems. Developmental Science.

Jamie Hanson's Google Scholar profile

News and Awards