Dr. Brett J. Peters, Ph.D.
- Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology
- OHIO Psi Chi Faculty Advisor
Areas of Expertise
Expert Bio
Peters' interdisciplinary, multi-method program of research seeks to understand psychological, cognitive, and physiological processes in relationship contexts. He examines how responses to social stressors, both internal and external to the relationship, influence online physiological and affective responses, and downstream decisions, behaviors and health outcomes.
He uses multiple theories to generate hypotheses, including the biopsychosocial (BPS) model of challenge and threat, the extended process model of emotion regulation, and adult attachment theory. To answer research questions, Peters rely on multiple methods, including neuroendocrine and cardiovascular physiological measures, behavioral coding, and self-reports.
He is also a strong proponent of “immersive” paradigms to study relationship processes. That is, to study how stress unfolds in romantic relationships, couples should be examined when they are actually experiencing stress. His work typically is featured in journals such as Emotion, Psychophysiology, and International Journal of Psychophysiology.
Peters is currently working on projects focused on examining co-rumination from a dyadic, interpersonal perspective and investigating the impact of COVID-19 on intimate partner violence.