The purpose of this competing renewal grant application is to provide training in alcohol research for pre and postdoctoral students in psychology. The training program is geared toward providing quality research training in the combined areas of etiology and prevention of alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence. Research training in etiology (e.g., studies of primary and secondary prevention in high-risk drinkers) will be approached from both biobehavioral and psychosocial perspectives. In the view of the training faculty, the study of alcohol problems is best approached from a theoretical base that includes psychological, behavioral, and biological factors. Psychology is in a unique position to provide this combined emphasis in a biopsychosocial approach since the field encompasses a number of specialty areas, including experimental, cognitive, social, clinical, behavioral neuroscience, and behavioral psychology. The principal focus of this training program is alcohol research training in psychology at the University of Washington. Seven core and eight additional faculty, all with primary or adjunct appointments in the Departments of Psychiatry and/or Psychology, will provide apprenticeship training and research supervision for trainees. Funds are requested to support three to five postdoctoral, and three predoctoral trainees each year. Trainees will be required to take part in the Addictive Behaviors Core curriculum, which involves a series of courses and seminars in the field of alcohol and addiction research. Predoctoral trainees are required to complete a core curriculum consistent with departmental requirements for a Ph.D. Required courses include: (1) statistics and general methodology, (2) a major area of study in clinical, physiological, developmental, or health psychology, (3) breadth requirements intended to assure broad exposure to other areas of psychology, and (4) out of area coursework relevant to the study of addictive behaviors. Trainees in the course of the program will be expected to (a) acquire research methodologies relevant to the alcohol field with both human and animal subjects; and (b) apply such skills and knowledge in the design and execution of both basic and applied research related to the etiology and prevention of alcohol abuse and dependence.
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