Professor Abigail Marsh conducts research that is aimed at understanding aspects of human social interactions, emotional functioning, and empathy using cognitive neuroscience methods. She focuses in particular on emotion and on nonverbal communication. Current research includes studies with adolescents and adults, incorporating neuroimaging, cognitive and behavioral testing, and pharmacology techniques.

Primary Interests:

Aggression, Conflict, Peace
Emotion, Mood, Affect
Ethics and Morality
Helping, Prosocial Behavior
Neuroscience, Psychophysiology
Nonverbal Behavior

Aggression, Conflict, Peace
Emotion, Mood, Affect
Ethics and Morality

Helping, Prosocial Behavior
Neuroscience, Psychophysiology
Nonverbal Behavior

Research Group or Laboratory:

Laboratory on Social and Affective Neuroscience
Interactive Map

Journal Articles:

Blair, K. S., Finger, E., Marsh, A. A., Morton, J., Mondillo, K., Buzas, B., Kamel, N., Goldman, D., Drevets, W. C., & Blair, R. J. R. (2008). The role of 5-HTTLPR in choosing the lesser of two evils, the better of two goods: Examining the impact of 5-HTTLPR genotype and tryptophan depletion in object choice. Psychopharmacology, 196, 29-38.
Finger, E. C., Marsh, A. A., Mitchell, D. G. V., Reid, M. E., Sims, C., Budhani, S., Kosson, D. S., Chen, G. Towbin, K. E., Leibenluft, E., Pine, D. S., & Blair, R. J. R. (2008). Abnormal ventromedial prefrontal cortex function in children with psychopathic traits during reversal learning. Archives of General Psychiatry, 65, 586-594.
Marsh, A. A., Adams, R. B. Jr., & Kleck, R. E. (2005). Why do fear and anger look the way they do? Form and social function in facial expressions. Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, 31, 73-86.
Marsh, A. A., & Ambady, N. (2007). The influence of the fear facial expression on prosocial responding. Cognition & Emotion, 21, 225-247.
Marsh, A. A., Ambady, N., & Kleck, R. E. (2005). The effects of fear and anger facial expressions on approach- and avoidance-related behaviors. Emotion, 5, 119-124.
Marsh, A. A., Blair, K. S., Jones, M. M., Soliman, N., & Blair, R. J. R. (2009). Dominance and submission: The ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and responses to status cues. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 21, 713-724.
Marsh, A. A., & Blair R. J. R. (2008). Deficits in facial affect recognition among antisocial populations: A meta-analysis. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 32, 454-465.
Marsh, A. A., Crowe, S. L., Yu, H. H., Gorodetsky, E. K., Goldman, D., & Blair, R. J. R. (2011). Serotonin transporter genotype (5-HTTLPR) predicts utilitarian moral judgments. PLoS ONE, 6, e25148.
Marsh, A. A., Elfenbein, H. A., & Ambady, N. (2007). Separated by a common language: Nonverbal accents and cultural stereotypes about Americans and Australians. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 38, 284-301.
Marsh, A. A., Elfenbein, H. A., & Ambady, N. (2003). Nonverbal "accents": Cultural differences in facial expressions of emotion. Psychological Science, 14, 373-376.
Marsh, A. A., Finger, E. C., Fowler, K. A., Jurkowitz, I. N., Schechter, J. C., Yu, H. H., Pine, D. S., & Blair, R. J. R. (2011). Reduced amygdala-orbitofrontal connectivity during moral judgments in youths with disruptive behavior disorders and psychopathic traits. Psychiatry Research, 194, 279-286.
Marsh, A. A., Finger, E. C., Mitchell, D. G. V., Reid, M. E., Sims, C., Kosson, D. S., Towbin, K. E., Leibenluft, E., Pine, D. S., & Blair, R. J. R. (2008). Reduced amygdala response to fearful expressions in children and adolescents with callous-unemotional traits and disruptive behavior disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 165, 712-720.
Marsh, A. A., Finger, E. C., Schechter, J. C., Jurkowitz, I. T. N., Reid, M. E., & Blair, R. J. R. (2011). Adolescents with psychopathic traits report reductions in physiological responses to fear. Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry, 52, 834-841.
Marsh, A. A., Kozak, M. N., & Ambady, N. (2007). Accurate identification of fear facial expressions predicts prosocial behavior. Emotion, 7, 239-51.
Marsh, A. A., Kozak, M. N., Wegner, D. M., Reid, M. E., Yu, H. H., & Blair, R. J. R. (in press). The neural substrates of action identification. Social Cognitive & Affective Neuroscience.
Marsh, A. A., Yu, H. H., Pine, D. S., & Blair, R. J. R. (2010). Oxytocin improves specific recognition of positive facial expressions. Psychopharmacology, 209, 225-232.
Marsh, A. A., Yu, H. H., Schechter, J. C., & Blair, R. J. R. (2009). Larger than life: Humans' nonverbal status cues alter perceived size. PLoS ONE, 4, e5707.
White, S. F., Marsh, A. A., Fowler, K. A., Schechter, J. C., Adalio, C., Pope, K., Sinclair, S., Pine, D. S., & Blair, R. J. R. (2012). Disrupted amygdala functioning in youth with disruptive behavior disorder and psychopathic traits is a function of emotional processing deficits, not attentional control. In press, American Journal of Psychiatry.

Other Publications:

Blair, R. J. R., Finger, E. C., & Marsh, A. A. (2009). The development and neural bases of psychopathy. In M. de Haan & M. R. Gunnar (Eds.), Handbook of Developmental Social Neuroscience (pp. 419-434). New York: Guilford.
Marsh, A.A. (2011). Empathy and compassion: A cognitive neuroscience perspective. In J. Decety (Ed) Empathy: From Bench to Bedside . Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, pp. 191-206.

Courses Taught:

Empathy/Altruism/Aggression
General Psychology
Social and Affective Neuroscience

Empathy/Altruism/Aggression
General Psychology

Social and Affective Neuroscience

Abigail Marsh
Department of Psychology
White Gravenor Hall, Georgetown University
37th and O Street NW
Washington, DC 20057
United States

Phone: (202) 687-4100
Fax: (202) 687-6050