2027 Pre-conferences

Clinical Affective Science 6.5-hour session

Chairs: Jennifer Veilleux and Karin Coifman
The Clinical Affective Science preconference, heading into its 3rd year, has quickly become a home and hub for SAS members of all levels interested in emotion science as it relates to problems in mental health and wellbeing. Clinical affective science describes the dynamic integration between the science of emotion and the study of the nature, prevention, and alleviation of psychopathology. In 2027, the Clinical Affective Science pre-conference will focus on one key pillar of clinical affective science: translating basic affective science to inform and enhance evidence-based clinical practice. Designed to connect clinical affective scientists and trainees across research areas and professional levels, the preconference will feature workshops, invited addresses, trainee presentations, networking opportunities, and interactive activities. The 2027 preconference will enrich research at the intersection of clinical and affective science, provide actionable skills to apply in clinical settings, and foster stronger professional relationships with the clinical affective science community.

Call for abstracts opens: December 1, 2026
Call for abstracts closes: January 8, 2027
Acceptance notification: January 19, 2027

Computational Affective Linguistics 6.5-hour session

Chairs: Krishnapriya Vishnubhotla, Katie Hoemann, Saif Mohammad, and Christopher Bagdon
Emotions are expressed through language and natural language processing (NLP) is transforming how we study them. Join us for the CAL preconference, bringing together researchers from Affective Science, Psychology, Cognitive Science, and NLP to explore what computational methods can teach us about emotion, and what emotion theory can teach computation. Building on a successful first workshop at the NLP conference LREC 2026, this preconference flips the script: bringing NLP researchers into the SAS community for cross-disciplinary exchange. Expect keynote talks, a panel discussion, research presentations, and a poster session designed for real dialogue between fields. Whether you’re a SAS member curious about computational approaches to emotion, or an NLP researcher looking to ground your work in psychological theory, this is a chance to build lasting collaborations. Come connect, learn, and help shape the future of computational affective science.

Call for abstracts opens: December 1, 2026
Call for abstracts closes: January 11, 2027
Acceptance notification: January 19, 2027

Emotion Regulation 4-hour session, morning

Chairs: Razia Sahi, Katie Greenaway, and Danfei Hu
The Emotion Regulation Pre-Conference features emotion regulation research from various disciplinary perspectives. This year’s program will feature a panel discussion on advances in emotion regulation, ‘spicy’ talks focused on hot-button issues, and early career researcher talks. Our goal is to build connections among those interested in emotion regulation regardless of career stage (spanning faculty, post-docs, and students) and exchange ideas about new directions in emotion regulation research.

Call for abstracts opens: September 1, 2026
Call for abstracts closes: October 1, 2026 
Acceptance notification: October 31, 2026

Affect and AI 4-hour session, morning

Chairs: Amit Goldenberg and Daryl Cameron
Affect and AI brings together leading researchers to examine how AI systems recognize, simulate, and respond to human emotion. As emotional interactions with large language models scale rapidly, questions about affective AI have become central to human-AI interaction, social connection, and model safety. This preconference will highlight empirical research on how emotion is represented and perceived in AI systems, how emotionally responsive agents shape user behavior and relationships, and what risks emerge when affective capacity increases engagement, overdependence, or hallucination. By connecting theoretical, empirical, and methodological perspectives, the preconference aims to advance a research agenda for understanding the psychological and social implications of affective interaction with AI, and for informing safer, more human-centered AI systems.

Call for abstracts opens: December 1, 2026
Call for abstracts closes: January 11, 2027
Acceptance notification: January 19, 2027

Positive Emotions 4-hour session, afternoon

Chairs: Maria Monroy and Jieni Zhou
This half-day preconference will bring together leading and emerging scholars to examine the current state of the science of positive emotions and identify key directions for future research. Speakers will address theoretical advances, methodological innovations, and empirical findings in affective science. Topics will include the functions of positive emotions, intrapersonal and interpersonal emotion dynamics, psychophysiological mechanisms, and the broader sociocultural contexts that shape emotional experience. Through a combination of posters, flash talks, invited talks, and panel discussions, researchers across diverse career stages will engage in dialogue about unresolved questions, emerging methodologies, and opportunities for collaboration.

A goal of the Positive Emotions preconference is to nurture a sense of community among attendees. We will create opportunities for connection throughout the preconference program, including during the panel discussion, as well as through an informal happy hour following the preconference.

Call for abstracts opens: December 1, 2026
Call for abstracts closes: January 11, 2027
Acceptance notification: January 19, 2027

Developmental Affective Science 4-hour session, afternoon

Chairs: Lior Abramson, Jennifer Silvers, and Anna Vannucci
Join us for the Developmental Affective Science Preconference at SAS, bringing together researchers who study emotional development from infancy through adolescence across disciplines, methods, and career stages. This half-day program will help shape a growing field by asking: How do emotional processes change across development? What mechanisms drive those changes? And what should the field prioritize next?

The program will feature invited talks from leading scholars, trainee and early-career flash talks selected through an open abstract process, and an interactive discussion designed to identify key debates, methodological challenges, and opportunities for collaboration. A Developmental Affective Science Presentation Award will recognize an outstanding abstract and flash talk.

Through networking, small-group discussion, and collaborative agenda-setting, the preconference will foster an inclusive, innovative, growing community and strengthen developmental affective science within SAS.

Call for abstracts opens: December 1, 2026
Call for abstracts closes: January 11, 2027
Acceptance notification: January 19, 2027