About me

My name is Kate Petrova. I am a Ph.D. student in Psychology at Stanford University. I study how people think about and regulate emotions in themselves and others.

My most recent work focuses on the regulatory consequences of paying attention to emotional experiences under acute stress. I am currently working on projects examining the role of causal reasoning in shaping subjective experiences of emotion and guiding regulation.

My other line of work focuses on interpersonal emotion regulation. In particular, I am curious about the reasons why people often excel at helping others regulate negative emotions even as they struggle to regulate their own.

My other interests include lay theories of emotion, empathic processes in virtual communication, and the development of emotion regulation across the lifespan.