DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

Peggy Zoccola

Assistant Professor

Contact Information:

Email: zoccola(->AT<-)ohio.edu
Phone: 740-597-3300
223 Porter Hall
Ohio University
Athens, OH 45701


Research Area: 

Experimental Health

 

Research Lab:

Psychosocial Processes and Health Laboratory

  

 

Research Interests

My research integrates psychological and biological levels of analysis by applying social and emotional theories to the context of stress and health. Specifically, I focus on how cognitive processes such as rumination may influence physiological stress responses and sleep—two major health-relevant processes associated with morbidity and well-being. My work also aims to identify individual- and situation-level characteristics that may promote or prevent perseverative cognition (e.g., worry or rumination) and prolong physiological responses. For example, are some individuals predisposed to ruminate in response to stressors? Are certain types of stressors more likely to elicit rumination?

Education

PhD, Psychology & Social Behavior, University of California, Irvine (2010)

MA, Social Ecology, University of California, Irvine (2006)

BA, Psychology, University of Pennsylvania (2002) 

 

Selected Publications

Dickerson, S. S., & Zoccola, P. M. (2013). Cortisol responses to social exclusion. In C. N. DeWall (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Social Exclusion (pp. 143-151). New York: Oxford University Press.
Zoccola, P. M., & Dickerson, S. S. (2012). Assessing the relationship between rumination and cortisol: A review. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 73, 1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2012.03.007
Zoccola, P. M., Dickerson, S. S., & Lam, S. (2012). Eliciting and maintaining ruminative thought: The role of social-evaluative threat. Emotion, 12(4), 673-677. doi: 10.1037/a0027349
Schlotz, W., Yim, I. S., Zoccola, P. M., Jansen, L., & Schulz, P. (2011). The Perceived Stress Reactivity Scale: measurement invariance, stability, and validity in three countries. Psychological Assessment, 23(1), 80-94. doi:10.1037/a0021148
Zoccola, P. M., Dickerson, S. S., & Yim, I. S. (2011). Trait and state perseverative cognition and the cortisol awakening response. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 36(4), 592-595. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2010.10.004
Zoccola, P. M., Green, M. C., Karoutsos, E., Katona, S. M., & Sabini, J. (2011). The embarrassed bystander: Embarrassability and the inhibition of helping. Personality and Individual Differences, 51(8), 925-929. doi:16/j.paid.2011.07.026
Zoccola, P. M., Quas, J. A., & Yim, I. S. (2010). Salivary cortisol responses to a psychosocial laboratory stressor and later verbal recall of the stressor: The role of trait and state rumination. Stress, 13(5), 435-443. doi:10.3109/10253891003713765
Dickerson, S. S., & Zoccola, P. M. (2009). Toward a biology of social support. In C. R. Snyder & S. J. Lopez (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology (2nd ed., pp. 519-526). New York: Oxford University Press.
Lam, S., Dickerson, S. S., Zoccola, P. M., & Zaldivar, F. (2009). Emotion regulation and cortisol reactivity to a social-evaluative speech task. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 34(9), 1355-1362. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2009.04.006
Zoccola, P. M., Dickerson, S. S., & Lam, S. (2009). Rumination predicts longer sleep onset latency after an acute psychosocial stressor. Psychosomatic Medicine, 71(7), 771-775. doi:10.1097/PSY.0b013e3181ae58e8
Dickerson, S. S., Mycek (Zoccola), P. J., & Zaldivar, F. (2008). Negative social evaluation, but not mere social presence, elicits cortisol responses to a laboratory stressor task. Health Psychology, 27(1), 116-121. doi:10.1037/0278-6133.27.1.116
Zoccola, P. M., Dickerson, S. S., & Zaldivar, F. P. (2008). Rumination and cortisol responses to laboratory stressors. Psychosomatic Medicine, 70(6), 661-667. doi:10.1097/PSY.0b013e31817bbc77
Dickerson, S. S., & Mycek (Zoccola), P.  J. (2007). Health psychology. In R. F. Baumeister & K. D. Vohs (Eds.), The encyclopedia of social psychology (Vol. 1, pp. 415-419). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Recent Grants

  • Inflammatory Responses to Acute Psychological Stress and Rumination. Ohio University Research Committee Grant. 2011-2012. PI. ($7,985)

Courses Taught

Undergraduate:

  • Psychology of Health & Illness
  • Research Methods in Psychology

Graduate:

  • Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)
  • Social Endocrinology

Graduate Students

I will be accepting graduate students for the 2013-2014 academic year. For information about the Ph.D. Program in Experimental Psychology, click here.