Master’s Students - Thesis Stream

Alexandra Morrison

Academic Background: BSc (Honours), Psychology & Language and the Mind. Mount Allison University

Current Program: MSc Audiology

Email: xj898200@dal.ca

Research Topic: Leveraging Eye Tracking to Better Understand Misophonia and Improve Clinical Care

Research Project: Misophonia is a condition where specific sound patterns, such as chewing, breathing, tapping, or sniffing, can trigger intense emotional and physiological reactions in some environments. This can significantly impact daily functioning, leading to increased anger, anxiety, disgust, and depression, and reduced quality of life. We aim to examine reactions to triggering sounds and investigate the impact of a therapy period for individuals with misophonia. To our knowledge, misophonia symptoms and care have only been studied using subjective measures. Our goal is to pair subjective measures with pupillometry, a type of objective measure, to further understand this condition and best practices for treatment. Pupillometry is a relatively accessible tool that audiologists can leverage to further understand the neurological basis of hearing conditions.

Outside of school, you can find me drawing, exploring, playing board games, and spending time with my pets and friends!