The goal of this program is the training of students who can use methods from neuroscience and experimental psychology to improve our understanding of mental function and dysfunction. NIMH has underscored the importance of applying behavioral research to the study of mental disorders. In order to deal effectively with this wide range of applications, the next generation of experimental psychologists needs to master a core set of research methodologies and theoretical approaches that can be applied to the study of mental disorder. This proposal focuses on four specific pathways for training psychologists in the study of mental disorders. The first pathway introduces the trainee to the methods and theories of cognitive neuroscience with specific applications to mental disorder. Methods here include imaging techniques (MRI, ERP, PET), psychometric evaluation, lesion studies, and work with specific clinical populations. The second pathway exposes the trainee to the methods and theories of cognitive, emotional, and social development, as they illuminate childhood mental disorders. Methods here include micro-genetic analysis, gesture-speech studies, naturalistic observation, modeling, and strategy choice analysis. The third pathway examines decision-making and risk-taking in social contexts, as they are influenced by mental disorder. The fourth pathway emphasizes the extension of the methods of adult experimental psychology to the study of adult mental dysfunction. Methods here include protocol analysis, implicit learning paradigms, studies of working memory, and investigations of problem-solving. Each trainee will be committed to exploring in detail one of these four pathways. In addition, each trainee will be engaged in an ongoing series of hands-on studies of particular issues in mental dysfunction.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Institutional National Research Service Award (T32)
Project #
2T32MH019102-16
Application #
6894390
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZMH1-ERB-X (01))
Program Officer
Wynne, Debra K
Project Start
1989-07-01
Project End
2010-06-30
Budget Start
2005-07-01
Budget End
2006-06-30
Support Year
16
Fiscal Year
2005
Total Cost
$208,577
Indirect Cost
Name
Carnegie-Mellon University
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
052184116
City
Pittsburgh
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
15213
Lawson, Chris A; Rakison, David H (2013) Expectations about single event probabilities in the first year of life: The influence of perceptual and statistical information. Infancy 18:
Hufnagle, Daniel G; Holt, Lori L; Thiessen, Erik D (2013) Spectral information in nonspeech contexts influences children's categorization of ambiguous speech sounds. J Exp Child Psychol 116:728-37
Lawson, Chris A; Kalish, Charles W (2009) Sample selection and inductive generalization. Mem Cognit 37:596-607
Masnick, Amy M; Morris, Bradley J (2008) Investigating the development of data evaluation: the role of data characteristics. Child Dev 79:1032-48
Prat, Chantel S; Keller, Timothy A; Just, Marcel Adam (2007) Individual differences in sentence comprehension: a functional magnetic resonance imaging investigation of syntactic and lexical processing demands. J Cogn Neurosci 19:1950-63
Booth, James R; Harasaki, Yasuaki; Burman, Douglas D (2006) Development of lexical and sentence level context effects for dominant and subordinate word meanings of homonyms. J Psycholinguist Res 35:531-54
Opfer, John E (2002) Identifying living and sentient kinds from dynamic information: the case of goal-directed versus aimless autonomous movement in conceptual change. Cognition 86:97-122
Opfer, J E; Gelman, S A (2001) Children's and adults' models for predicting teleological action: the development of a biology-based model. Child Dev 72:1367-81
Plaut, D C; Booth, J R (2000) Individual and developmental differences in semantic priming: empirical and computational support for a single-mechanism account of lexical processing. Psychol Rev 107:786-823
Booth, J R; MacWhinney, B; Harasaki, Y (2000) Developmental differences in visual and auditory processing of complex sentences. Child Dev 71:981-1003

Showing the most recent 10 out of 22 publications