Frederica Rockwood teaches a course in Emotion and Motivation for the Department of Psychology, as well as lecturing in the Core course, "The Mind." She focuses on the interconnections between emotions and physiological function, including their impact on motivation and behavior. Emotions are complex phenomena that coordinate changes within the body to help us achieve our goals. Conversely, our understanding of internal bodily signals contributes to the generation of emotional states. Rockwood’s research examines these connections in both individual and social contexts. Her dissertation work examined whether changes in an individual's physiological context, particularly cardiac and immune function, impact the way they perceive and act towards others.