FEATURING
Dr. Sy-Miin Chow, Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, Penn State
Title, abstract and bio below RSVP form.
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TITLE
Of Course It’s (Not Just) About Time: Current Progress and New Ventures in Modeling Change
ABSTRACT
Studying change is crucial for understanding whether and how individuals, subgroups, and communities adapt—or remain unaffected—by shifting contextual factors. These efforts enhance our ability to understand both gradual trends and sudden, disruptive shifts, thereby informing strategies for effective interventions and policies. In this talk, I will share insights on how current research leverages intensive longitudinal data, such as ecological momentary assessments, and data from wearables and smartphones, to capture complex changes in individuals’ emotion regulation, substance use, learning, and other health-related processes. I will also discuss some of the data analytic challenges that arose, and the solutions proposed for handling irregularly spaced data, trends, and missing data. I will conclude with examples of how studies of change can benefit from interdisciplinary collaborations and advancements that extend beyond time, through the integration of spatiotemporal and ecological (e.g., community network) data, as well as machine learning approaches.
BIO
Dr. Sy-Miin Chow is a Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at the Pennsylvania State University and the Principal Investigator of the Emotions and Dynamic Systems Lab. Dr. Chow’s research focuses on the development and adaptation of modeling and analysis tools that are suited to evaluating linear and nonlinear dynamical systems models, including longitudinal structural equation models and state-space modeling techniques. Her current work involves using Kalman filter approaches and dynamical systems models to represent the dynamics of emotion regulation. Her longer term aim is to develop a broader repertoire of data-driven tools tailored toward analyzing the kinds of longitudinal data typically available in the social and behavioral sciences.
Annually the Department of Psychology hosts a Colloquia Series throughout the academic year. This exciting program brings us together outside of the classroom to have conversations with the speakers we’ve invited to our campus to share their ideas. You’ll have the chance to hear from international speakers on a wide range of provocative topics.
