The proposed K01 award will provide a 5-year training program to enable the candidate, a clinical psychologist, to become an independent researcher in the field of developmental psychopathology, with a focus on (a) identifying attentional and affective barriers to effective self-regulation in children and adolescents, and (b) examining contextual influences (e.g., parenting, peers) that moderate the relationship between these attentional and affective barriers and the development of psychopathology. Long-term goals include collaborating with intervention scientists to develop methods for tailoring intervention and prevention approaches according to individual profiles of self-regulatory strengths and weaknesses. The candidate will conduct rigorous training with Thomas Dishion, Ph.D., an expert in developmental psychopathology and the treatment and prevention of externalizing disorders, as well as with co-mentors with expertise in the development of attention and self-regulation (Michael Posner, Ph.D.) and in event-related potential (ERP) research methods (Edward Vogel, Ph.D.). Research goals are to (a) characterize the development of both automatic and voluntary attention processes in children age 7-14 years by using well-established laboratory paradigms, (b) develop a task to assess individual differences in the competition between relatively automatic and voluntary attention processes (attentional flexibility), and (c) determine if individual differences in these attentional processes affect self-regulation and risk for psychopathology in both normative and clinical samples of children. Training goals are to (a) gain experience in conducting laboratory research with children and adolescents;(b) develop skill in using EEG/ERP research methods;(c) deepen knowledge of developmental psychopathology, with an emphasis on individual by environment interactions and adjustment in early adolescence;(d) gain knowledge and experience in structural equation modeling;and (e) obtain introductory training in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) methodology to lay the groundwork for future collaborative research. The activities proposed for this award will provide a firm foundation for investigating how individual differences in attentional and affective processing contribute to psychopathology, both alone and in combination with contextual influences, and how these individual differences can be used to improve treatment and intervention. This enhanced understanding will contribute to the promotion of mental health and well being among at-risk individuals.
| Véronneau, Marie-Hélène; Racer, Kristina Hiatt; Fosco, Gregory M et al. (2014) The Contribution of Adolescent Effortful Control to Early Adult Educational Attainment. J Educ Psychol 106:730-743 |
| Racer, Kristina Hiatt; Dishion, Thomas J (2012) Disordered Attention: Implications for Understanding and Treating Internalizing and Externalizing Disorders in Childhood. Cogn Behav Pract 19:31-40 |
| Racer, Kristina Hiatt; Gilbert, Tara Torassa; Luu, Phan et al. (2011) Attention network performance and psychopathic symptoms in early adolescence: an ERP study. J Abnorm Child Psychol 39:1001-12 |
