ABOUT ME:

I completed a PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Sussex, UK, working with Prof. Theodora Duka and Prof. Hugo Critchley to investigate the factors that drive impulsive actions and decisions. Specifically, I looked at the way emotions and bodily cues impact the way we behave, even when we do not realise it. Following my PhD, I joined the Lab of Action and Body led by Prof. Manos Tsakiris at Royal Holloway, University of London. At the LAB, I studied the coupling between the brain and the body, and how signals from the body can influence our decisions. I am now a researcher at the Laboratory of Brain Imaging at the Nencki Institute, where I share my time between a project looking at emotional responses to climate change and a project investigating how our brains change when we learn (and forget) new skills.

RESEARCH INTERESTS:

I investigate the effects of emotions and physiological signals on our behaviour and decision-making, and the mechanisms behind these effects. To study this, I employ behavioural measures, physiological recordings, as well as neuroimaging techniques. 

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

Herman, A.M. (2022) In sync with the heart. eLife, 11, 10-11 https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.84298

Herman, A. M., Zaremba, D., Kossowski, B. & Marchewka, A. (2022) The utility of the emBODY tool as a novel method of studying complex phenomena-related emotions. Scientific Reports, volume 12, Article number: 19884 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-23734-4

Zaremba, D., Kulesza, M., Herman, A.M. et al. A wise person plants a tree a day before the end of the world: coping with the emotional experience of climate change in Poland. Curr Psychol (2022).

Herman, A. M. & Stanton, R.T. (2022) Delay and Effort-Based Discounting, and the Role of Bodily Awareness, In People Experiencing Long-Term Pain: A Cross-Sectional Study. The Journal of Pain. 23(3), 487-500https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2021.10.001

Herman, A. M., & Tsakiris, M. (2020). Feeling in Control: The Role of Cardiac Timing in the Sense of Agency. Affective Science, 1(3), 155–171. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42761-020-00013-x

Herman, A. M., & Duka, T. (2020). The Role of Impulsivity Facets on the Incidence and Development of Alcohol Use Disorders. In Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences. https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2020_137

Herman, A. M., Critchley, H. D., & Duka, T. (2020). Trait Impulsivity Associated With Altered Resting-State Functional Connectivity Within the Somatomotor Network. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 14(June), 111. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2020.00111

Herman, A. M., Critchley, H. D., & Duka, T. (2019a). Binge drinking is associated with attenuated frontal and parietal activation during successful response inhibition in fearful context. European Journal of Neuroscience, 50(3), 2297–2310. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejn.14108

Herman, A. M., Critchley, H. D., & Duka, T. (2019b). The impact of Yohimbine-induced arousal on facets of behavioural impulsivity. Psychopharmacology, 236(6), 1783–1795. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-018-5160-9

Herman, A. M., Rae, C. L., Critchley, H. D., & Duka, T. (2019). Interoceptive accuracy predicts nonplanning trait impulsivity. Psychophysiology, 56(6), e13339. https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.13339

Herman, A. M., Critchley, H. D., & Duka, T. (2018a). Risk-Taking and Impulsivity: The Role of Mood States and Interoception. Frontiers in Psychology, 9(August), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01625

Herman, A. M., Critchley, H. D., & Duka, T. (2018b). The role of emotions and physiological arousal in modulating impulsive behaviour. Biological Psychology, 133, 30–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2018.01.014

Makovac, E., Meeten, F., Watson, D. R., Herman, A., Garfinkel, S. N., D. Critchley, H., & Ottaviani, C. (2016). Alterations in Amygdala-Prefrontal Functional Connectivity Account for Excessive Worry and Autonomic Dysregulation in Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Biological Psychiatry, 80(10), 786–795. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.10.013