Scott squires, Ph.D. Student
Centre for Neuroscience Studies 9sds@queensu.ca
202 Craine Building
Queen's University
Kingston, ON K7L 3N6
M.Sc. Psychology, Queen’s University, 2019
B.Sc. (Hons), Psychology & Medical Sciences, Western University, 2014
ORCID: 0000-0002-8213-9772
Scott's main research focus concerns uncovering the neuroscientific underpinnings behind the cognitive process of rumination, a state of mind that is often distressing, difficult to control, and characterized by repetitive, cyclical processing of personally relevant experiences and information. Rumination includes the revisiting of negative events in one's past and analyzing their causes as well as pinpointing details that one wishes could be changed to improve one's present or future. Rumination also includes repetitive negative thinking about one's weaknesses, misfortunes, stressors, and unachieved goals, the replaying of traumatic experiences or humiliating social interactions, anger-induced hypothetical revenge planning, and more. Importantly, most kinds of rumination are cognitive risk factors for one or more mental health disorders or behavioural problems (e.g., MDD, social anxiety, PTSD, aggression, substance use disorder, etc.). Despite this, however, basic characteristics of the neurocognitive processes underlying rumination are poorly understood.
By leveraging his diverse knowledge and skills obtained from the Brain and Mind Institute at the University of Western Ontario and the Clinical Psychology MSc program at Queen's University, Scott utilizes psychological science and neuroscientific techniques in his research about rumination. Currently, Scott is using psychometric and theory integration approaches to define different kinds of rumination in the general population. He will then conclude his PhD research by utilizing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to record and probe the brain, respectively, as individuals engage in different kinds of rumination. Scott hopes his work will lay a new framework to inspire future research about rumination as it manifests in healthy individuals and in clinical populations.