Research and Publications - Department of Psychology

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Fair Tests of Clinical Trials: A Treatment Implementation Model
(1994) Lichstein, Kenneth; Riedel, Brant W.; Grieve, Rick; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
We propose a psychotherapy treatment implementation model whereby adequate levels of independent treatment components: delivery, receipt, and enactment, are prerequisite to asserting a valid clinical trial had been conducted. The delivery component refers to the accuracy of treatment presentation, receipt refers to the accuracy of the client's comprehension of treatment, and enactment refers to the extent of out of session application initiated by the client. Clinical scientists regularly address one or two of these components, but rarely all three, according to a survey we report. Sources and effects of model deficits, i. e., inadequate levels of treatment components, as well as methods of component assessment and induction are discussed. We conclude that faults in any one of the components drain validity proportional to the degree of deficit, and that clinical trials have often incorrectly been considered fair tests resulting in biased efficacy judgments.
Contextual Factors in Risk and Prevention Research
(2004-07) Lochman, John; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
This paper reviews how cascading levels of contextual influences, starting with family factors and extending to neighborhood and school factors, can affect children’s behavioral and emotional development. The ability of contextual factors to trigger or to attenuate children’s underlying temperament and biological risk factors is emphasized. Recognition of the powerful effects of an array of contextual factors on children’s development has clear implications for preventive interventions as well. Intervention research can explore the effects of multicomponent interventions directed at children’s family and peer contextual influences, can examine how contextual factors predict children’s responsivity to interventions, and can examine how contextual factors have effects on how, and how well, interventions are delivered in the real worlds of schools and community agencies.
Early temperamental and psychophysiological precursors of adult psychopathic personality
(American Psychological Association, 2007) Glenn, Andrea L.; Raine, Adrian; Venables, Peter H.; Mednick, Sarnoff A.; University of Southern California; University of York - UK; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Emerging research on psychopathy in children and adolescents raises the question of whether indicators, such as temperament or psychophysiology, exist very early in life in those with a psychopathic-like personality in adulthood. This study tests the hypothesis that individuals who are more psychopathic in adulthood would be less fearful and inhibited and more stimulation seeking/sociable at age 3 and that they would also show reduced age 3 skin-conductance (SC) responsivity. In a community sample of 335 3-year-olds, behavioral measures of temperament were taken and electrodermal activity was recorded in response to both orienting and aversive tones. R. D. Hare's (1985) Self-Report Psychopathy scale (SRP-II) was administered at follow-up at age 28. Individuals scoring higher on the measure were significantly less fearful and inhibited, were more sociable, and displayed longer SC half-recovery times to aversive stimuli compared with controls at age 3. Contrary to predictions, they also showed increased autonomic arousal and SC orienting. Findings appear to be the first to suggest that a prospective link may exist between temperament and psychophysiology in very young children and psychopathic personality in adulthood.
Girl talk - Gossip, friendship, and sociometric status
(Wayne State University Press, 2007) McDonald, Kristina L.; Putallaz, Martha; Grimes, Christina L.; Kupersmidt, Janis B.; Coie, John D.; Duke University; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
This study examined the characteristics of gossip among fourth-grade girls and their close friends. Sixty friendship dyads were videotaped as they engaged in conversation, and their gossip was coded. Analyses revealed gossip to be a dominant feature of their interaction and that it was primarily neutral in valence. Sociometrically popular girls and their friends were observed to gossip more about peers, and their gossip was more evaluative than that between rejected girls and their friends. Gossip frequency and valence related to observed friendship closeness and friendship quality. Race differences in the characteristics of gossip were also explored. The study results are important in our efforts to develop a fuller understanding of the important interpersonal process of gossip and the functions that it serves in the context of close friendships.
Vitamins and sleep: An exploratory study
(Elsevier, 2007-12) Lichstein, Kenneth L.; Payne, Kristen L.; Soeffing, James P.; Durrence, H. Heith; Taylor, Daniel J.; Riedel, Brant W.; Bush, Andrew J.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Study objective: We analyzed archival data from an epidemiology study to test the association between vitamin use and sleep. Design: Random digit dialing was used to recruit 772 people ranging in age from 20 to 98 for a study of people's sleep experience. These individuals completed a set of questionnaires about their sleep, health, and daytime functioning. Five hundred and nineteen of these participants had available vitamin use data. Setting: Home. Participants: Five hundred and nineteen people participated. Recruitment applied minimal screening criteria and no attempt was made to favor people with or without sleep disturbance. Interventions: This survey included no intervention. Participants completed 2 weeks of sleep diaries and a set of questionnaires. Of particular salience to the present study, participants reported their vitamin use in listing all medications and nutritional supplements being used currently. Measurements and results: For those individuals taking a multivitamin or multiple single vitamins, sleep diaries revealed poorer sleep compared to non-vitamin users in the number and duration of awakenings during the night. After controlling for age, ethnicity, and sex the difference in number of awakenings was still marginally significant. The rate of insomnia, conservatively defined, and consumption of sleep medication were also marginally significantly higher among individuals taking multi-/multiple vitamins compared to those not taking vitamins. Conclusions: Disturbed sleep maintenance was associated with multi-/multiple vitamin use. Five equally plausible explanations were advanced to explain this association including vitamins cause poor sleep, poor sleepers seek vitamins, and unidentified factors promote both poor sleep and vitamin use. These data are considered preliminary. Methodological characteristics of future studies were described that hold the promise of more clearly illuminating the association between vitamins and sleep. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The neurobiology of psychopathy
(Saunders, 2008) Glenn, Andrea L.; Raine, Adrian; University of Pennsylvania; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Numerous studies have tackled the complex challenge of understanding the neural Substrates of psychopathy, revealing that brain abnormalities exist on several levels and in several structures. As we discover more about complex neural networks, it becomes increasingly difficult to clarify how these systems interact with each other to produce the distinct pattern of behavioral and personality characteristics observed in psychopathy. The authors review the recent research on the neurobiology of psychopathy, beginning with molecular neuroscience work and progressing to the level of brain structures and their connectivity. Potential factors that may affect the development of brain impairments, as well as how some systems may be targeted for potential treatment, are discussed.
Brain abnormalities in antisocial individuals: Implications for the law
(Wiley, 2008) Yang, Yaling; Glenn, Andrea L.; Raine, Adrian; University of Southern California; University of Pennsylvania; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
With the increasing popularity in the use of brain imaging on antisocial individuals, an increasing number of brain imaging studies have revealed structural and functional impairments in antisocial, psychopathic, and violent individuals. This review summarizes key findings from brain imaging studies on antisocial/aggressive behavior. Key regions commonly found to be impaired in antisocial populations include the prefrontal cortex (particularly orbitofrontal and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex), superior temporal gyrus, amygdala-hippocampal complex, and anterior cingulate cortex. Key functions of these regions are reviewed to provide a better understanding on how deficits in these regions may predispose to antisocial behavior. Objections to the use of imaging findings in a legal context are outlined, and alternative perspectives raised. It is argued that brain dysfunction is a risk factor for antisocial behavior and that it is likely that imaging will play an increasing (albeit limited) role in legal decision-making. Copyright (c) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Psychological treatment of insomnia in hypnotic-dependant older adults
(Elsevier, 2008-01) Soeffing, James P.; Lichstein, Kenneth L.; Nau, Sidney D.; McCrae, Christina S.; Wilson, Nancy M.; Aguillard, R. Neal; Lester, Kristin W.; Bush, Andrew J.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa; State University System of Florida; University of Florida; University of Memphis; University of Tennessee System; University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Background: The existing literature does not address the question of whether cognitive-behavioral therapy would have an impact on insomnia in older adults who are chronic users of sleep medication and have current insomnia, but are also stable in their quantity of medication usage during treatment. The present report seeks to answer this question. Methods: Hypnotic-dependant older adults, who were stable in their amount of medication usage and still met the criteria for chronic insomnia put forth by American Academy of Sleep Medicine, were treated using a cognitive-behavioral intervention for insomnia. The three-component treatment included relaxation training, stimulus control, and sleep hygiene instructions. Participants were randomly assigned to either the active treatment group or a comparably credible placebo control group, and were instructed not to alter their pattern of hypnotic consumption during treatment. Results: The active treatment group had significantly better self-report measures of sleep at post-treatment. Statistically significant improvement was paralleled by clinically meaningful improvement for key sleep variables. As planned, there was no significant change in sleep medication usage from pre- to post-treatment. Conclusions: The findings support the use of cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia in hypnotic-dependant older adults. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Peer contextual influences on the growth of authority-acceptance problems in early elementary school
(Wayne State University Press, 2008-04) Stearns, Elizabeth; Dodge, Kenneth A.; Nicholson, Melba; Conduct Problems Prevention Res Gr; University of North Carolina; University of North Carolina Charlotte; Duke University; Northwestern University; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
This study investigated the effects of the peer social context and child characteristics on the growth of authority-acceptance behavior problems across first, second, and third grades, using data from the normative sample of the Fast Track Project. Three hundred sixty-eight European American and African American boys and girls (51% male; 46% African American) and their classmates were assessed in each grade by teacher ratings on the the Teacher Observation of Child Adaptation-Revised. Children's growth in authority-acceptance behavior problems across time was partially attributable to the level of disruptive behavior in the classroom peer context into which they were placed. Peer-context influences, however, were strongest among some-gender peers. Findings held for both boys and girls, both European Americans and African Americans, and nondeviant, marginally deviant, and highly deviant children. Findings suggest that children learn and follow behavioral norms from their same-gender peers within the classroom.
The Neurobiology of Psychopathy: A Neurodevelopmental Perspective
(Sage, 2009) Gao, Yu; Glenn, Andrea L.; Schug, Robert A.; Yang, Yaling; Raine, Adrian; University of Pennsylvania; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
We provide an overview of the neurobiological underpinnings of psychopathy. Cognitive and affective-emotional processing deficits are associated with abnormal brain structure and function, particularly the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex. There is limited evidence of lower cortisol levels being associated with psychopathic personality. Initial developmental research is beginning to Suggest that these neurobiological processes may have their origins early in life. Findings suggest that psychopathic personality may, in part, have a neurodevelopmental basis. Future longitudinal studies delineating neurobiological correlates of the analogues of interpersonal-affective and antisocial features of psychopathy in children are needed to further substantiate a neurodevelopmental hypothesis of psychopathy.
Increased DLPFC activity during moral decision-making in psychopathy
(Nature Portfolio, 2009) Glenn, A. L.; Raine, A.; Schug, R. A.; Young, L.; Hauser, M.; University of Pennsylvania; University of Southern California; Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); Harvard University; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Anxiety in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders
(Elsevier, 2009) White, Susan W.; Oswald, Donald; Ollendick, Thomas; Scahill, Lawrence
Anxiety and poor stress management are common concerns in clinical samples of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Anxiety may worsen during adolescence, as young people face an increasingly complex social milieu and often become more aware of their differences and interpersonal difficulties. This review summarizes the state of research on the prevalence, phenomenology, and treatment of anxiety in youth with autism and related conditions such as Asperger's Disorder. Using search words autism, asperger(s), or pervasive developmental disorder and anxiety or anxious to find reports published between 1990 and 2008, this review identified 40 papers. The results of the review suggest that anxiety, whether measured categorically or dimensionally, is indeed common in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders and may be a source of additional morbidity. The assessment of anxiety disorders in ASD should be conducted using multiple informants and modalities, as children with ASD often do not display age-typical symptoms of anxiety. To date, relatively few controlled intervention studies using well-characterized samples have been conducted despite preliminary evidence for efficacy of select pharmacological and psychosocial approaches. Recommendations for future applied research are presented and clinical implications are explored.
Preliminary Efficacy of a Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment Program for Anxious Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders
(Springer, 2009) White, Susan W.; Ollendick, Thomas; Scahill, Lawrence; Oswald, Donald; Albano, Anne Marie
Anxiety is a commonly occurring psychiatric concern in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This pilot study examined the preliminary efficacy of a manual-based intervention targeting anxiety and social competence in four adolescents with high-functioning ASD. Anxiety and social functioning were assessed at baseline, midpoint, endpoint, and 6 months following treatment. Treatment consisted of cognitive-behavioral therapy, supplemented with parent education and group social skills training. The treatment program was effective in reducing anxiety in three of the four subjects and improving the social skills in all four subjects. Recommendations for the assessment and treatment of anxiety youth with ASD such as use of self-report measures to complement clinician and parent-reports and adaptations to traditional child-based CBT, are offered.
The neural correlates of moral decision-making in psychopathy
(Nature Portfolio, 2009) Glenn, A. L.; Raine, A.; Schug, R. A.; University of Pennsylvania; University of Southern California; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Psychopathy and instrumental aggression: Evolutionary, neurobiological, and legal perspectives
(Pergamon, 2009) Glenn, Andrea L.; Raine, Adrian; University of Pennsylvania; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
In the study of aggression, psychopathy represents a disorder that is of particular interest because it often involves aggression which is premeditated, emotionless, and instrumental in nature; this is especially true for more serious types of offenses. Such instrumental aggression is aimed at achieving a goal (e.g., to obtain resources such as money, or to gain status). Unlike the primarily reactive aggression observed in other disorders, psychopaths appear to engage in aggressive acts for the purpose of benefiting themselves. This is especially interesting in light of arguments that psychopathy may represent an alternative life-history strategy that is evolutionarily adaptive; behaviors such as aggression, risk-taking, manipulation, and promiscuous sexual behavior observed in psychopathy may be means by which psychopaths gain advantage over others. Recent neurobiological research supports the idea that abnormalities in brain regions key to emotion and morality may allow psychopaths to pursue such a strategy-psychopaths may not experience the social emotions such as empathy, guilt, and remorse that typically discourage instrumentally aggressive acts, and may even experience pleasure when committing these acts. Findings from brain imaging studies of psychopaths may have important implications for the law. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Increased Volume of the Striatum in Psychopathic Individuals
(Elsevier, 2010) Glenn, Andrea L.; Raine, Adrian; Yaralian, Pauline S.; Yang, Yaling; University of Pennsylvania; University of California System; University of California Los Angeles; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Background: The corpus striatum, comprised of the caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus, plays an important role in reward processing and may be involved in the pathophysiology of antisocial behavior. Few studies have explored whether differences are present in the striatum of antisocial individuals. Here, we examine the structure of the striatum in relation to psychopathy. Methods: Using a case-control design, we examined the volume of the striatum in psychopathic individuals compared with control subjects matched for age, sex, ethnicity, and substance dependence. Twenty-two psychopathic individuals assessed using the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised and 22 comparison subjects underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging. Volumes of the left and right lenticular nucleus (putamen and globus pallidus), caudate head, and caudate body were assessed and the psychopathic and control groups were compared. Results: Psychopathic individuals showed a 9.6% increase in striatum volumes. Analyses of subfactors of psychopathy revealed that caudate body volumes were primarily associated with the interpersonal and affective features of psychopathy, while caudate head volumes were primarily associated with the impulsive, stimulation-seeking features. Conclusions: These findings provide new evidence for differences in the striatum of psychopathic individuals. This structural difference may partially underlie the reward-seeking and decision-making deficits associated with psychopathy.
Development of a Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention Program to Treat Anxiety and Social Deficits in Teens with High-Functioning Autism
(Springer, 2010) White, Susan W.; Albano, Anne Marie; Johnson, Cynthia R.; Kasari, Connie; Ollendick, Thomas; Klin, Ami; Oswald, Donald; Scahill, Lawrence
Anxiety is a common co-occurring problem among young people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Characterized by deficits in social interaction, communication problems, and stereotyped behavior and restricted interests, this group of disorders is more prevalent than previously realized. When present, anxiety may compound the social deficits of young people with ASD. Given the additional disability and common co-occurrence of anxiety in ASD, we developed a manual-based cognitive-behavioral treatment program to target anxiety symptoms as well as social skill deficits in adolescents with ASD [Multimodal Anxiety and Social Skills Intervention: MASSI]. In this paper, we describe the foundation, content, and development of MASSI. We also summarize data on treatment feasibility based on a pilot study that implemented the intervention.
No volumetric differences in the anterior cingulate of psychopathic individuals
(Elsevier, 2010) Glenn, Andrea L.; Yang, Yaling; Raine, Adrian; Colletti, Patrick; University of Pennsylvania; University of California System; University of California Los Angeles; University of Southern California; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Functional imaging studies of psychopathy have demonstrated reduced activity in the anterior cingulate, yet it is unclear whether this region is structurally impaired. In this study, we used structural MRI to examine whether volumetric differences exist in the anterior cingulate between psychopathic (n = 24) and control (n = 24) male participants. We found no group differences in the volume of the anterior cingulate or its dorsal and ventral subregions. Our findings call into question whether the anterior cingulate is impaired in psychopathy, or whether previous findings of reduced activity may result from reduced input from other deficient regions. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Characteristics of Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Patients With Dementia
(Sage, 2011) Calleo, Jessica S.; Kunik, Mark E.; Reid, Dana; Kraus-Schuman, Cynthia; Paukert, Amber; Regev, Tziona; Wilson, Nancy; Petersen, Nancy J.; Snow, A. Lynn; Stanley, Melinda; Baylor College of Medicine; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Background: Overlap of cognitive and anxiety symptoms (i.e., difficulty concentrating, fatigue, restlessness) contributes to inconsistent, complicated assessment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in persons with dementia. Methods: Anxious dementia patients completed a psychiatric interview, the Penn State Worry Questionnaire-Abbreviated, and the Rating for Anxiety in Dementia scale. Analyses to describe the 43 patients with and without GAD included the Wilcoxon Mann-Whitney two-sample test, Fisher's exact test. Predictors of GAD diagnosis were identified using logistic regression. Results: Those with GAD were more likely to be male, have less severe dementia and endorsed more worry, and anxiety compared to patients without GAD. Gender, muscle tension and fatigue differentiated those with GAD from those without GAD. Conclusions: Although this study is limited by a small sample, it describes clinical characteristics of GAD in dementia, highlighting the importance of muscle tension and fatigue in recognizing GAD in persons with dementia.
Is It Wrong to Criminalize and Punish Psychopaths?
(2011) Glenn, Andrea; Riane, Adrian; Laufer, William S.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Increasing evidence from psychology and neuroscience suggests that emotion plays an important and sometimes critical role in moral judgment and moral behavior. At the same time, there is increasing psychological and neuroscientific evidence that brain regions critical in emotional and moral capacity are impaired in psychopaths. We ask how the criminal law should accommodate these two streams of research, in light of a new normative and legal account of the criminal responsibility of psychopaths.

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