Targeting Cognitive and Affective Processes in Behavioral Development Research: Perspectives on the Basic to Clinical Journey in Psychological Science

Presenter
Greg Siegle, Ph.D., and Arielle Baskin-Sommers, Ph.D.
Webinar Event Date

Abstract

Greg Siegle, Ph.D., presents on cognitive training to address obstacles to recovery. His talk describes neural vulnerabilities that could help to explain the mediocre success rate of traditional behavioral treatments along with initial data suggesting that we can address these features using targeted cognitive training as pre-treatments. These data lead to an augmented conceptualization of precision medicine in which assessment can be used in traditional ways, to direct patients to different treatments, or to suggest pre-treatments to turn likely nonresponders into likely responders to conventional treatments.

Arielle Baskin-Sommers, Ph.D., presents on an experimental therapeutics approach to target antisocial behaviors. Antisocial behavior, from substance abuse to crime, produces suffering for the perpetrator, for their family members, for their community, and for society at large. The underlying cognitive-affective mechanisms tell us why individuals continue to engage in these behaviors, despite the persistence of suffering. Utilizing the approach of knowledge integration from basic science on these cognitive-affective mechanisms to intervention research highlights the path for alleviating this suffering.

 

Biographies

Greg SiegleGreg Siegle, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Translational Sciences
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Greg Siegle, Ph.D., directs the Program in Cognitive Affective Neuroscience (PICAN) at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where he is an associate professor of psychiatry, psychology, and translational sciences. His research examines neural mechanisms of emotional and cognitive information processing in mood and anxiety disorders, and how this information can be used to predict response to treatment and to guide novel treatment development. He works to translate cognitive and emotional neuroscience for use in the real world. Dr. Siegle has over 135 publications and has been continuously funded by NIH and foundation awards for over 17 years.

Arielle Baskin-Sommers Arielle Baskin-Sommers, Ph.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Assistant Professor, Yale University

Arielle Baskin-Sommers, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and assistant professor at Yale University. She received her Sc.B. from Brown University (2007), a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison (2013) and completed her predoctoral internship and fellowship at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Substantively, her research is concentrated on understanding individual differences in cognitive and affective processes as they relate to vulnerability for disinhibited (impulsive, antisocial) behavior. Methodologically, she is interested in integrating a wide range of techniques and technologies to explore this issue. Overall, her professional career goals are based on a desire to develop both innovative theory and research in service of increasing the efficacy of clinical intervention for antisocial behaviors.