LAURA J. O’TOOLE
laurajotoole@gmail.com
EDUCATION
August 2007 – present
August 2003 – December 2006
The Graduate Center, CUNY
M.A., M.Phil
Ph.D. candidate in Biopsychology and Behavioral Neuroscience
Projected defense in December 2013
Binghamton University, SUNY
B.A. Psychology, B.A. Philosophy
GRADUATE ACADEMIC HONORS
2012
Robert L. Thompson Award (for excellence in research, mentoring, and teaching)
2010
Peter Moller Award (for excellent progress in dissertation research)
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
January 2008 – present
Research Assistant
Emotion Regulation Lab, CUNY Hunter College
Faculty Advisor: Tracy Dennis, Ph.D.

Collect, process, and analyze EEG data
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Conduct behavioral measurements and behavioral coding
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Train new RAs in EEG and behavioral techniques
June 2008 – August 2008
Research Assistant
Visual Psychophysiology Lab, CUNY Hunter College
Faculty Advisor: Jim Gordon, Ph.D.

Collected data used to demonstrate the capabilities of a new
statistical measure
August 2007 – December 2007
Research Assistant
Developmental Psychobiology, New York State Psychiatric Institute
Faculty Advisor: Christoph Wiedenmayer, Ph.D.

Designed a paradigm to demonstrate fear conditioning in
developing rats to biologically relevant stimuli

Developed an ethogram for fear related behaviors in rats
August 2006 – May 2007
Research Assistant
Learning and Representation in Cognition, SUNY Binghamton
Faculty Advisor: Kenneth Kurtz, Ph.D.

Developed a new methodology to study the learning phase of
categorization and selective attention

Created stimulus sets, worked with computer programmers
WORK EXPERIENCE
August 2009 – Present
Lecturer
Psychology Department, CUNY Hunter College

Cognitive Processes (two semesters, currently)

General Experimental Psychology (six semesters)
August 2007 – August 2009
Teaching Assistant
Psychology Department, CUNY Hunter College

Introduction to Psychology, Human Sexuality, Social
Experimental Psychology, General Experimental Psychology

Grade papers and exams, meet with students to address
questions, give lectures
June 2006 – August 2006
Clinical Assistant
FPI Attention Disorders Clinic, Endicott, New York
Supervisor: Vincent Monastra, Ph.D.

Administered and scored diagnostic Test of Variables of
Attention, Attention Deficit Disorders Evaluation Scale

Applied electrodes for qEEG and biofeedback sessions,
cleaning and upkeep of electrodes
RESEARCH PAPERS
Dennis, T. A., Jost, J. T., O’Toole, L. J., Medina, A., & Amodio, D. (under review). Family ties? The
effect of parental ideology on a neurocognitive measure of conflict.
DeCicco, J. M., O’Toole, L. J., & Dennis. T. A. (under revision). Cognitive reappraisal in children: An
ERP study using the late positive potential.
O’Toole, L. J., DeCicco, J., Berthod, S., & Dennis, T. A. (accepted with revisions). The face-specific
N170 to angry faces predicts anxiety in typically developing children over a two-year period.
Developmental Neuropsychology.
O’Toole, L. J. & Dennis, T. A. (2012). Attention training and the threat bias: An ERP study. Brain and
Cognition, 78, 63-73, doi: 10.1016/j.bandc.2011.10.007
O’Toole, L. J., DeCicco, J. M., Hong, M., & Dennis, T. A. (2011). The impact of task-irrelevant emotional
stimuli on attention in three domains. Emotion, 11(6), 1322-1330, doi: 10.1037/a0024369
BOOK CHAPTERS
Dennis, T. A., O’Toole, L. J., & DeCicco, J. M. (2013). Emotion regulation from the perspective of
developmental neuroscience: What, where, when, and why. In K. Barrett (Ed.), Handbook of selfregulatory processes in development: New directions and international perspectives. New York,
NY: Routledge
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
O’Toole, L. J. & Dennis, T. A. (2013, May). Attention bias modification in adults and children: Individual
differences in attention to threat and treatment-relevant biomarkers. In T. A. Dennis & K. E. PerezEdgar (Chairs), Attention bias modification and neurocognitive plasticity of the anxiety-related
threat bias Symposium to be conducted at the 25th annual meeting of the Association for
Psychological Science, Washington, DC.
Dennis, T. A., DeCicco, J. M., O’Toole, L. J., & Berthod, S. (2012, September). Individual differences in
emotion-regulation and anxiety in school-aged children: Continuity, change, and neurophysiological
markers. In K. A. Buss (Chair), Understanding psychophysiology in developmental context:
Implications for development of internatlizing and externalizing symptoms. Symposium conducted
at the 52nd annual meeting of the Society for Psychophysiological Research, New Orleans, LA.
POSTER PRESENTATIONS
O’Toole, L. J. & Dennis, T. A. (2013, April). Bias towards and away from threat: Implications for
attention bias modification. Poster session to be presented at the 33rd annual convention of the
Anxiety Disorders Association of America, La Jolla, CA.
O’Toole, L. J., Medina, A., Babkirk, S., & Dennis, T. A. (2012, September). Attention bias modification
and stress reactivity: An ERP study. Poster session presented at the 52 nd annual convention of the
Society for Psychophysiological Research, New Orleans, LA.
O’Toole, L. J., Rios, V., Mayhew, A., & Dennis, T. A. (2012, April). Changes in stress reactivity
following attention bias modification. Poster session presented at the 32nd annual convention of the
Anxiety Disorders Association of America, Washington, DC.
O’Toole, L. J. & Dennis, T. A. (2011, September). Attention training to reduce the threat bias: An ERP
study. Poster session presented at the 51st annual convention of the Society for Psychophysiological
Research, Boston, MA.
Berthod, S., O’Toole, L. J., DeCicco, J., & Dennis, T. A. (2011, September). The N170 during emotional
face processing and attention: A developmental perspective. Poster session presented at the 51st
annual convention of the Society for Psychophysiological Research, Boston, MA.
Solomon, B., Medina, A. O’Toole, L. J., & Dennis, T. A. (2011, September). Conflict monitoring and
attention performance: A Child ERP study. Poster session presented at the 51st annual convention of
the Society for Psychophysiological Research, Boston, MA.
O’Toole, L. J., Solomon, B., & Dennis, T. A. (2011, March). Attention training to reduce the threat bias:
An ERP study. Poster session presented at the 31st annual convention of the Anxiety Disorders
Association of America, New Orleans, LA.
Solomon, B., DeCicco, J. M., O’Toole, L. J., Tropea, M., & Dennis, T. A. (2011, March). Child inhibition
and attentional biases: A neurophysiological study. Poster session presented at the biennial meeting
of the Society for Research in Child Development, Montreal, QC.
O’Toole, L. J., Klimova, A., Dennis, T. A. (2010, October). Attention Training and the Threat Bias: An
ERP Study. Poster session presented at the 50th annual convention of the Society for
Psychophysiological Research, Portland, OR.
O’Toole, L. J., DeCicco, J., & Dennis, T. A. (2010, May). Emotional Interference on Executive Attention:
Effects of Anxiety, Salience, and Task Difficulty. Poster session presented at the 22nd annual
convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Boston, MA.
O’Toole, L. J., Hong, M., & Dennis, T. A. (2010, March). State Anxiety and Attention Performance
Following Distracting Threat Stimuli: Facilitation or Disruption? Poster session presented at the
30th annual convention of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, Baltimore, MD.
O’Toole, L. J., Reuland, M., Monde, K., Syroyezhkin, A., & Dennis, T. A. (2009, October). Changes in
the Late Positive Potential Predict Attention Training Effects on the Threat Bias. Poster session
presented at the 49th annual meeting of the Society for Psychophysiological Research, Berlin, DE.
Augello, J., O’Toole, L. J., Hajcak, G., Bonanno, G., & Dennis, T. A. (2009, June). The Late Positive
Potential Varies with Trait Anxiety. Poster session presented at the third annual meeting of Tufts
University’s Conference on Emerging Trends in Behavioral, Affective, Social, and Cognitive
(BASC) Neurosciences, Medford, MA.
Zemon, V.M., Gordon, J., O’Toole, L. J., Monde, K., Dozhanskaya, V., Shapovalova, V., Hu, J., Furhman,
J., & Granader, Y. (2009, May). Transient Visual Evoked Potentials (tVEPs) to Contrast-Reversing
Patterns: A Frequency Domain Analysis. Poster session presented at the annual meeting of the
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Fort Lauderdale, FL.
O’Toole, L. J., Reuland, M., Lamm, C., & Dennis, T. A. (2009, May). Induced Attentional Biases Affect
Performance on the Dot Probe Task. Poster session presented at the 21st annual convention of the
Association for Psychological Science, San Francisco, CA.
Augello, J., O’Toole, L. J., Chen, C., Hajcak, G., Bonanno, G., & Dennis, T. A. (2008, October). The Late
Positive Potential Predicts Long-Term Memory for Emotional Pictures Viewed During a Directed
Emotion Regulation Task. Poster session presented at the 48th annual meeting of the Society for
Psychophysiological Research, Austin, TX.
RESEARCH SUPPORT
2012
Doctoral Student Research Grant Competition #7, The Graduate Center, CUNY
2012
Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award, National Institute of Mental Health
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
2009 – present
2009 – present
2010 – present
2010 – present
Association for Psychological Science (graduate student member)
Society for Psychophysiological Research (graduate student member)
Anxiety Disorders Association of America (graduate student member)
Society for Research in Child Development (graduate student member)
SKILLS
Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, Power Point
Experimental design and analysis: E-Prime, Biosemi ActiveTwo,
Brain Vision Analyzer, SPSS, Matlab
RESEARCH INTERESTS
I am interested in the effects of emotional stimuli on attention,
particularly the threat bias in anxiety. My current research aims to
identify event-related potential (ERP) biomarkers for the threat bias
and to track changes in attention following attention bias
modification. I am also interested in how other types of interventions,
such as mindfulness meditation, alter attentional processes.