APA Journals Dialogue

How do personality traits change and develop over time? And to what extent do environmental, sociocultural, and biological factors contribute to personality change? Dr. Wiebke Bleidorn, social psychologist at the University of California Davis and a 2019 recipient of APA’s Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology, discusses her work in personality change, published in the December 2019 awards issue of American Psychologist.  

Psychological research plays a crucial role in informing the approach to clinical care for transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) youth. Dr. Diane Chen, pediatric psychologist at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and guest editor of the September 2019 special issue of Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology, sits down with Dr. Eddy Ameen to discuss clinical implications of her research and the important role of early career psychologists in advancing the practice of pediatric psychology with TGD youth. Get the 2019 special issue of Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology

Drs. Harris Cooper and David Frost discuss the recent Journal Article Reporting Standards (JARS) reports and their implications for research in psychology.

Dr. Gregory Brown is a professor of neuropsychology at the University of California–San Diego, where he directs the NeuroImaging and Behavioral Analysis Laboratory, and the co-director of the VA VISN 22 MIRECC's Imaging Unit. He is the editor of Neuropsychology and a fellow of APA. Dr. Erin Bigler is a professor of clinical psychology at Brigham Young University, where he is the principle investigator in the BIBLAB. He is an associate editor of Neuropsychology and a past president of the International Neuropsychological Society.

Dr. Anthony Ecker is a post-doctoral fellow at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center and an instructor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Baylor College of Medicine. His research focuses on the development and implementation of treatment for comorbid mental health and substance use disorders.

Dr. Miriam Beauchamp is an associate professor of psychology and director of the ABCs Developmental Neuropsychology Lab at the University of Montreal. In addition to her research on traumatic brain injury in children and adolescents, she also studies moral reasoning and neuropsychological interventions in these groups.

Kendra Thorne is a doctoral student in the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems at Florida State University and has conducted research both there and at West Virginia University. In addition to her research on traumatic stress, Ms. Thorne is a certified rehabilitation counselor.

Dr. Crystal Blyler is a senior researcher at Mathematica Policy Research, where she directed the evaluation of the Medicaid Emergency Psychiatric Services Demonstration. In addition to her work at Mathematica, Dr. Blyler has experience as a researcher at various universities and in government at both the national and state level.

Dr. Sarah Raskin is a Charles A. Dana Research Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and Director of the Neuroscience program at Trinity College. In addition to her work as a clinical neuropsychologist, Dr. Raskin runs the Cognitive Neuropsychology and Rehabilitation Lab at Trinity College and has edited two books on the effects of brain injury.

Dr. Ken Nowack is the President and Chief Research Officer of Envisia Learning, as well as the President and Co-Founder of Ofactor, Inc. In addition to his research and consulting experience, Dr. Nowack is a licensed psychologist and a lecturer at the University of California, Los Angeles' Anderson School of Management.

Dr. Andrew Riley is an assistant professor of pediatrics at Oregon Health & Science University, where he works with the university's Institute on Development and Disability's Behavioral Pediatrics Treatment Program. In addition to his work with families and with psychology interns under his supervision, Dr. Riley and his colleagues developed a series of short videos to aid parents of pediatric patients in managing their children's behavior.

Drs. Lisa Weyandt, Arthur Anastopoulos, and George DuPaul are psychologists who specialize in research on and treatment of college students with ADHD at the University of Rhode Island, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Lehigh University, respectively. Together, as part of a five-year study, they investigated the various implications of ADHD diagnosis and treatment in college students.

Drs. Roman Kotov and Robert Krueger are participants in Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) consortium. Dr. Kotov's work examines the vulnerabilities of mental disorders, including anxiety, mood disorders, and psychotic disorders. Dr. Krueger's research focuses on the etiology of personality and substance use disorders. Both have used quantitative research to develop their new taxonomy of psychopathology.

Dr. Joan Griffin is an associate professor of health services research at the Mayo Clinic, where she directs a research program focused on developing strategies to optimize patient health outcomes. In this position and in her previous work with the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Dr. Griffin has researched social determinants of patient and family health.

Dr. Veronica Hefner is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Eastern Kentucky University. In addition to her research on the effects of media exposure and use, she has served as the secretary for the Mass Communication division of the International Communication Association and currently serves as an officer for the Nominations Committee of the Mass Communication division of the National Communication Association.

Dr. Tina Maschi is the Associate Editor of Traumatology and an associate professor at Fordham University, where she coordinates the Human Rights and Social Justice Course Sequence. In her experience as a clinical social worker and a researcher, she has worked with youth and aging people in the criminal justice system and has used creative arts interventions with diverse populations. She also recently co-edited a special issue of Traumatology on trauma, aging, and well-being.

Dr. Martin Drapeau is a clinical psychologist and professor of counseling psychology and psychiatry at McGill University, where he directs the McGill Psychotherapy Process Research Group. In addition to his experience as an editor, Dr. Drapeau is the founder of Konsult, a consultation group of professors and researchers specializing in identifying and analyzing literature in the social sciences for institutions.

Drs. E. Sally Rogers and Margaret Swarbrick are psychologists specializing in psychiatric rehabilitation at their respective institutions of Boston University and Rutgers University. Dr. Rogers has developed various instruments and measures for use in the field. Dr. Swarbrick has lectured nationally and internationally on wellness and peer delivered services. Both have worked to measure the effectiveness and extent of peer support specialist services.

Dr. Kimberly Westcott is Associate Counsel in the Community Service Society of New York's law department and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Columbia School of Social Work. Dr. Westcott's experience includes practice as an attorney in labor law, research on the history of race and incarceration, and service on the development team of Sentence Planning Course of Hope Lives for Lifers.

Drs. Frederic Sautter and Julia Becker Cretu are both professors of psychiatry in the Tulane University School of Medicine and psychologists in the Southeast Louisiana Veteran's Health Care System. In addition to researching and treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in veterans, they developed the Fortify the Family program to aid the families of veterans affected by PTSD.

Dr. Raymond Bergner is a clinical psychotherapist and a professor in the Department of Psychology at Illinois State University, where he teaches psychopathology, family therapy, and counseling theories and techniques. In addition to the research he discusses in this episode, he studies mental disorders, self-concept and self-esteem, and the integration of psychotherapy into clinical practice.

Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett is a health psychologist, an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, and the Owner and Editor-in-Chief of Praeclarus Press, a small press specializing in women's health. Dr. Kendall-Tackett specializes in women's-health research including breastfeeding, depression, trauma, and health psychology. Her research interests include the psychoneuroimmunology of maternal depression and the lifetime health effects of trauma.

Dr. Bethany Brand is a trauma expert, clinical psychologist, and professor of psychology at Towson University. In addition to the research she discusses in this episode, Dr. Brand has studied treatments for dissociative disorders, distinctions in diagnosis of various trauma-related disorders, and the forensic assessment of feigned versus genuine dissociative disorders.

Dr. Stephen Gillaspy is an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. He is also the director for the Pediatric Psychology emphasis in OUHSC's Clinical Postdoctoral Fellowship program, as well as the Associate Director for Clinical in OUHSC's Oklahoma Tobacco Research Center.

Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett is a health psychologist, an International Board Certified lactation consultant, and the owner and editor-in-chief of Praeclarus Press, a small press specializing in women's health. Dr. Kendall-Tackett specializes in women's-health research including breastfeeding, depression, trauma, and health psychology. Her research interests include the psychoneuroimmunology of maternal depression and the lifetime health effects of trauma.

Cristina Zepeda is a graduate student researcher in the Cognitive Science Learning Lab at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research explores the relationship between metacognition and motivation, as well as how these concepts relate to learning and transfer. Ms. Zepeda also mentors students using the metacognitive techniques she studies.

Dr. Dewey Cornell is a forensic clinical psychologist and Bunker Professor of Education in the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. Dr. Cornell is also the director of the Virginia Youth Violence Project. His research interests include the prevention of youth violence and bullying, as well as the facilitation of healthy student development through a supportive and structured school climate.

Dr. Oscar Barbarin is a professor in the department of Psychology at Tulane University. His research interests include the role of community and family in health risks and examining educational interventions for achievement and social well-being.

Dr. Thomas Widiger is a professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Widiger's research interests include the diagnosis and classification of psychopathology, the dimensional models of personality disorder, and the validity of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, or DSM-IV.

Tara Galovski, PhD, is an associate professor at the Center for Trauma Recovery of the University of Missouri–St. Louis. She is primarily interested in treatment outcome research with a current focus on the development and testing of Cognitive Processing Therapy within survivors of interpersonal assault suffering from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In addition, Dr. Galovski investigates the impact of gender differences, chronicity of trauma, type of trauma and the presence of comorbid psychiatric disorders on the development and maintenance of PTSD as well as its resolution.