BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Social and emotional difficulties in adolescence - Blanca Piera Pi
 -Sunyer and Emily Towner\, Blakemore Lab\, Centre for Child\, Adolescent a
 nd Family Research\, Cambridge. 
DTSTART:20250603T150000Z
DTEND:20250603T160000Z
UID:TALK220072@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Louise Gray
DESCRIPTION:*Talk 1: The role of social support in socioemotional difficul
 ties during adolescence*\nBlanca Piera Pi-Sunyer.\n\n[Abstract not availab
 le]\n\n\n*Talk 2: Being Alone — Social Disconnection in Adolescence*\nEm
 ily Towner.\n\nSocial isolation and loneliness have reached concerning lev
 els worldwide\, with individuals aged 16-24 years reporting among the high
 est prevalence. This vulnerability is particularly concerning during adole
 scence—a sensitive period for social\, emotional\, and neural developmen
 t—given robust associations between loneliness and adverse mental and ph
 ysical health outcomes. Paradoxically\, despite being the loneliest age gr
 oup\, adolescents also report higher social media use than any other demog
 raphic\, raising questions about the quality and nature of digital social 
 connections. \n\nEmily's PhD research investigated the effects of brief so
 cial isolation on adolescents aged 16-19 years using an experimental parad
 igm. Employing a within-participant design\, adolescents completed baselin
 e assessments and participated in two counterbalanced isolation sessions: 
 one involving complete isolation from social interactions\, and another pe
 rmitting interactions exclusively through digital platforms. \n\nFindings 
 reveal that even short periods of isolation significantly influence cognit
 ive processes in ways that potentially heighten vulnerability to mental he
 alth difficulties. Neuroimaging results further uncovered neural predictor
 s of individual sensitivity\, providing insights into why certain adolesce
 nts may be particularly susceptible to the impacts of isolation. \n\nThese
  findings have meaningful implications for understanding and addressing so
 cial disconnection in our increasingly digital society. \n\n\n*Speaker Bio
 graphies:*\n\nBlanca is a final year PhD student in Psychology and a Gates
  Cambridge Scholar under the MRC Doctoral Training Programme. In a collabo
 ration between the University of Cambridge and the University of the Basqu
 e Country\, Blanca's interdisciplinary research aims to understand the rol
 e of peer and friendship groups\, family support and neighbourhood cohesio
 n in mental health during adolescence. Blanca has a background in psycholo
 gy and social sciences (Psychology Major in BSc Politics\, Psychology\, La
 w and Economics\, University of Amsterdam\, 2018) and in cognitive neurosc
 ience (MRes in Cognitive Neuroscience\, University College London\, 2019).
  \n\nEmily is a final year PhD Candidate in Psychology at the University o
 f Cambridge and a Gates-Cambridge Scholar. Her Ph.D. research focuses prim
 arily on social isolation in adolescents — where she investigates the ef
 fects of isolation and loneliness on cognition and mental health. Through 
 the use of high definition magnetic resonance imaging she also explores as
 sociations between the brain and sensitivity to social isolation. In addit
 ion\, she is interested in digital social connection. She examines whether
  digital social interactions (such as the use of smartphones and social me
 dia) might mitigate or exacerbate the effects of social isolation. This su
 mmer\, she will begin a position as a postdoctoral scholar at the Californ
 ia Institute of Technology.
LOCATION:Hybrid: in-person in Cambridge &amp\; online via Teams
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR