Erik Benau, Ph.D.
Primary Investigator
Thank you for visiting my personal website. Here, you will find more information about me, my research, my teaching interests, and of course, my lab and team members!
I was born and raised near Philadelphia, PA. I completed my B.A. in Cognitive Science at Hampshire College in Amherst, MA, an M.S. in Health Psychology at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, PA, and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS. I completed my doctraol internship at SUNY Upstate Medical University and a T32 postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University in the division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
I am also a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of New York. My primary orientation is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and have extensive training working with children, adolescents, families, couples, and adults with a wide range of challenges and goals. More about my practice can be found below.
Education
2007
B.A.
Cognitive Science
Hampshire College, Amherst, MA
2012
M.S.
Health Psychology
University of the Sciences, Philadelphia PA
2018
Ph.D.
Clinical Psychology
(major area of study in Health Psychology)
University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Licensure
2019-Present
Psychologist
New York State
023546
Current and Previous Positions
2020-Present
Assistant Professor of Cognitive Psychology
SUNY Old Westbury
2018-2020
T32 Postdoctoral Fellow
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
2017-2018
Doctoral Intern
SUNY Upstate Medical University
2013-2018
Graduate Student
University of Kansas
2010-2013
Graduate Student
University of the Sciences
Select Publications
*Mentee; †Co-authorship
Benau, E.M. & Atchley, R.A. (in press) The blink and the body: Cardiac awareness modulates the perception of emotionally salient words in an attentional blink paradigm. Experimental Psychology. doi: 10.1007/s13668-021-00370-4
Benau, E.M., Makara, A.,* Orloff, N.C., Benner, E., Serpell, L., & Timko, C.A. (in press). How does fasting affect cognition? An updated systematic review (2013-2020). Current Nutrition Reports.
Benau, E.M., Wiatrowski, R.,* & Timko, C.A. (2020). The role of emotion dysregulation, alexithymia, and social anxiety in disordered eating in college athletes. Frontiers in Psychology: Eating Behaviors. 1648(11) doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01646
Benau, E.M., & Atchley, R.A. (2020). Time flies faster when you’re feeling blue: Sad mood induction accelerates the perception of time in a temporal judgment task. Cognitive Processing. 21, 479-491, doi: 10.1007/s10339-020-00966-8
Benau, E.M., & Atchley, R.A. (2020). Some compliments (and insults) are more heartfelt: High cardiac awareness increases P2 amplitudes to emotional verbal stimuli that involve the body. Journal of Psychophysiology. 34(1), 50–59. doi: 10.1027/0269-8803/a000235.
Benau, E.M., Plumhoff, J., & Timko, C.A., (2019). Women's dieting goals (weight loss, weight maintenance, or not dieting) predict exercise motivation, goals, and engagement in undergraduate women: A self-determination theory framework. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 17(6). 553-557 doi: 10.1080/1612197X.2017.1421683
Benau, E.M.†, Hill, K.†, Foti, D., Atchley, R.A., O’Hare, A., Gibson, L., Hajcak, G., Ilardi, S.S., & Foti, D. (2019). Increased neural sensitivity to self‐relevant stimuli in major depressive disorder. Psychophysiology. 56(7), e13345. doi: 10.1111/psyp.13345
Liese, B.S., Benau, E.M., Atchley, P., Becirevic, A., & Kaplan, B.A. (2019) Revisiting the construct validity of the Self-Perception of Texting Dependence Questionnaire in a national sample. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse. 45(1), 42-50.
doi: 10.1080/00952990.2018.1465572.
Benau, E.M., Gregersen, S.C., Siakaluk, P.D., O’hare, A., Johnson, E.K., & Atchley, R.A. (2018). Sweet-Cheeks Vs. Pea-Brain: embodiment, valence and task all influence the time course of the LPP in emotional language. Cognition and Emotion. 32(4), 691-708.
doi: 10.1080/02699931.2017.1342602.
Benau, E.M., DeLoretta, L.C.,* & Moelter, S.T. (2018). The time is “right:” Brain electrophysiology reveals hemispheric differences in time perception. Brain and Cognition. 123, 92-102.
doi: 10.1016/j.bandc.2018.03.008
Benau, E.M., Jenkins, A.J., & Conner, B.T. (2017). Perceived parental monitoring and sexual orientation moderate lifetime acts of non-suicidal self-injury. Archives of Suicide Research. 21, 322-340.
doi: 10.1080/13811118.2016.1182092
Benau, E.M., & Moelter, S.T. (2016). Content of lexical stimuli and self-reported physiological state modulate the amplitude of the Error-Related Negativity. Physiology and Behavior. 163(1), 43-50. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.04.036
Fennel, A.,* Benau, E.M., & Atchley, R.A., (2016). A single session of meditation reduces physiological indices of anger in both experienced and novice meditators. Consciousness and Cognition. 40, 54-66. doi: 10.1016/j.concog.2015.12.010
Balass, M., Halderman, L.K., Benau, E.M., & Perfetti, C.A. (2016). Semantic processes and individual differences detected through error-related negativities. Journal of Neurolinguistics. 37, 82-97. doi: 10.1016/j.jneuroling.2015.08.002
Benau, E.M., Orloff, N.A., Janke, E.A., Serpell, L. & Timko, C.A. (2014). A systematic review of experimental fasting and cognitive function in healthy adults. Appetite. 77, 52-61.
doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2014.02.014
Votta, R.J., & Benau, E.M. (2014). Sources of stress for pharmacy students in a nationwide sample. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning. 6(5), 675-681. doi: 10.1016/j.cptl.2014.05.002
Yean, C., Benau, E.M., Dakanalis, A., Hormes, J.A., Perone, J. & Timko, C.A. (2013). The relationship of sex and sexual orientation on self-esteem, body shape satisfaction, and eating disorder symptomatology. Frontiers in Psychology: Eating Behavior, 887(4), 1-10
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00887
Votta, R.J., & Benau, E.M. (2013). Predictors of stress in pharmacy students: Results from a nationwide survey. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 5(5), 365-372.
doi: 10.1016/j.cptl.2013.06.014
Benau, E.M., Morris, J., & Couperus, J.W. (2011). Semantic processing in children and adults: Incongruity and the N400. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 40(3), 225-239.
doi: 10.1007/s10936-011-9167-1