OBERLIN COLLEGE C.A.S.H. LAB

We study how people think, feel, and act.

Some individuals find it easy to control

their attention, emotion, and behavior.


Others are naturally distractible, sensitive,

moody, or more likely to act on impulse.











OUR MAIN GOAL IS TO BETTER understand HOW PEOPLE "self-regulate".

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE?

We invite everyone to participate in our research. Our work involves adolescents, teens, and adult community members from all over Lorain County and greater Cleveland (as well as students from Oberlin and elsewhere). Some of our studies are also online and available to interested participants anywhere in the world.

View our current research studies that are now open for enrollment.




UNDERSTANDING how people self-regulate is critical to prevent and treat psychological distress, psychiatric disorders, and self-destructive behaviors.






What We Do

We aim to advance scientific knowledge of how brain development, life experiences, and social contexts influence people’s ability to ignore distraction, improve mood, and resist unhelpful urges.

Learn more about research in the C.A.S.H. Lab from our peer-reviewed scientific publications and academic conference presentations as well as selected media coverage of our work.

SOME topics THAT we study:

  • Suicide attempts, gestures, & threats
  • Self-harm (like cutting, burning, or hitting yourself)
  • Binge-eating, restrictive food intake, & purging (self-induced vomiting or excessive exercise)
  • Risky sex & other thrill-seeking activities
  • Distressing pornography habits
  • "Addiction" to the internet, social media, or gaming
  • Overspending or gambling when you can’t afford it
  • Misuse of alcohol and other drugs

WHO WE ARE

The C.A.S.H. Lab is dedicated to training the next generation of great clinical scientists and mental health practitioners.

We are therefore also committed to accessibility, inclusion, and diversity in psychological science.

Meet the C.A.S.H. Lab team and our collaborators.

FIND OUR LAB

The CASH Lab is affiliated with the Oberlin Psychology Department.

JOIN OUR TEAM

Depiction of an albino squirrel, Oberlin's unofficial mascot

Are you interested in clinical psychology and/or cognitive science?

Want to learn more about designing research studies, psychophysiological recording, psychopathology (e.g., psychiatric illness), and neurocognition?

Considering a graduate degree in clinical, counseling, cognitive, or developmental psychology? Psychiatry? Neuroscience? Computer science? Social work? Our laboratory may be a good fit for students weighing any of these career paths.

See examples of the research Professor Allen and our team conducts in the C.A.S.H. laboratory.

View a list of Oberlin students who are currently involved in our research.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Severance Hall Room 240

120 West Lorain Street

Oberlin, OH 44074

Lab Director & Principal Investigator:

Professor Kenneth J.D. Allen, Ph.D.

Severance Hall Room 213

email: kenneth.jd.allen@oberlin.edu

phone: (219) 669-4491