Faculty Research Interests
Dr. Lisa Best, B.A. (Glendon College, York), MA (Arkansas, Little Rock), Ph.D. (Maine).
Associate Professor
Office: HH1 / tel: 506-648-5562 / e-mail: lbest@unb.ca
RESEARCH INTERESTS: My research interests centre on how scientific diagrams, including graphs, are used to help scientists analyse, understand, and communicate their data. I am interested in two broad areas: history of graph use in science and diagrammatic reasoning. My experimental research focuses on all aspects of reasoning and includes graph perception, cognition, and the role of spatial processing in comprehension. Since arriving at UNB, I have expanded my research program to include electrophysiological methods and I have examined the physiological correlates of graph perception and comprehension.
LABORATORY DESCRIPTION: The main laboratory includes two research rooms that are equipped for perceptual and cognitive testing. In addition, the Department has a shared cognitive neuroscience laboratory that houses an eye-tracker and EEG/ERP equipment. The cognitive neuroscience lab can be used for both visual and auditory studies.
Dr. Lilly Both, B.A. Honours (Manitoba), MA, Ph.D. (Waterloo).
Associate Professor & University Teaching Professor; Director
of Graduate Studies and Honour's Program
Office: HH2 / tel: 506-648-5769 / e-mail: lboth@unb.ca
RESEARCH INTERESTS: My research interests are in the area of peer relationships and social skills across the life-span. More specifically, I have conducted studies on the correlates and consequences of social withdrawal in childhood, peer-pairing and play as an intervention technique for socially withdrawn children, the play behaviors of children whose mothers have been diagnosed with depression, and self-efficacy in the elderly. I am now focusing on the social cognitive skills of children.
LABORATORY DESCRIPTION: The laboratory contains a playroom with an adjacent research room. A one-way mirror allows for unobtrusive observation and digital recording of the activities in the playroom. This observation room also contains equipment for viewing and coding the data.
Dr. Michael T. Bradley, B.A. (Victoria), MA, Ph.D. (Manitoba).
Professor
Office: HH4 / tel: 506-648-5658 / e-mail: bradley@unb.ca
RESEARCH INTERESTS: My research areas include 1) polygraph techniques used for interrogations and based on "information" detection and "lie" detection; 2) issues in statistics.
PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY LABORATORY: The laboratory consists of a reception room and a test room. The test room is equipped with three polygraphs: a Lafayette standard field polygraph interfaced with a computerized graphic analysis program and configured for measurement of skin resistance, respiration and a variety of cardiovascular measures, 1 Grass polygraph, and 1 Beckman polygraph configured for a variety of measures from EEG to skin temperature.
Dr. Caroline Brunelle, B.A. Honours (Laval), Ph.D. (McGill).
Assistant Professor
Office: HH16 / tel: 506-648-5797 / e-mail: cbrunell@unb.ca
RESEARCH INTERESTS: My research focuses on various risk factors (i.e., personality, neuropsychological charactertistics, mental health, etc.) for substance abuse and dependence and understanding the role that individual differences play in the predisposition to addictive behaviours. In addition, I am interested in the evaluation of addiction treatment services. Specifically, I have been involved in research aiming to improve access to methadone maintenance treatment in the province of New Brunswick. Furthermore, the co-occurrence of various addictive behaviours with other mental disorders (e.g., antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder) is also of interest.
Dr. Mary Ann Campbell, B.A. Honours (Dalhousie), M.A.(Lakehead), Ph.D. (Dalhousie)
Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for Criminal Justice Studies
Office: HH 17 / tel: 506-648-5969/ e-mail: mcampbel@unb.ca
RESEARCH INTERESTS: My research interests cover two broad domains in the area of forensic psychology. The first of these concerns research related to credibility assessment (i.e., the process of evaluating whether an individual's statement/memory for an event is based in fact). Specifically, I am interested in understanding the individual differences in this ability. I also am interested in developing methods to facilitate credibility assessment that could eventually be applied to forensic settings (e.g., police interogations, evaluation of witness statements). My second area of of research is concerned with improving the practice of clinical forensic psychology as applied to both adult and adolescent offender populations. Specific foci include recidivism risk assessment, psychopathy, adolescent offenders, treatment responsivity, and the evaluation of mental health assessments written for legal purposes (e.g., parenting capacity assessments, mental health assessments designed to assist sentencing decisions).
Dr. Enrico DiTommaso,
B.A. (McGill), MA, Ph.D. (UNB).
Professor and Chair
Office: HH6 / tel: 506-648-5636 / e-mail: rico@unb.ca
RESEARCH INTERESTS: My major research interests are in the area of attachment, social adjustment and well-being. The research program has focused on an examination of Robert Weiss' multidimensional model of loneliness. As part of this examination, we have developed the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults (SELSA) (PAID, 1993; EPM, 2004). In addition to assessing social loneliness, the SELSA also measures what we consider two sub-types of emotional loneliness: Romantic emotional loneliness and family emotional loneliness. I am currently working on understanding the mechanisms associated with the development and maintenance of social (e.g., loneliness) and intra-personal adjustment (e.g., mental health) and well-being within an attachment theory framework. The model builds on the work by Hazan and Shaver (1987) and Bartholomew (1990) which extended traditional attachment theory to encompass adult intimate relationships. My research program aims to assess the various components of the proposed model from late adolescence to adulthood across several relationship domains. Recently, we have been examining the influence of attachment security on support behaviour and conflict resolution styles in couples, as well as the role of attachment security in the type of strategies individuals use to express their anger.
Other research interests include scale construction, and measurement/survey methodology.
INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS STUDIES LABORATORY: My laboratory includes three moderately sized rooms set up to conduct interviews and observational assessments.
Dr. Paul Gendreau, B.A., MA (Ottawa), Ph.D. (Queens), L.Psych.
Professor (Emeritus)
Office: HH15 / tel: 506-648-5640 / e-mail: gendreau@unb.ca
RESEARCH INTERESTS: The main thrust of my research is as follows: (1) the identification of the principles of effective treatment programs for offenders; (2) the evaluation of "get tough" policies and programs on criminal behaviour; (3) the development of assessment and prediction tools for predicting criminal behaviour; (4) the assessment of the effects of prison life; (5) the transfer of knowledge to practitioners and policy makers. I also have been involved in initiating correctional programs/policies in criminal justice agencies and examining the conditions under which successful implementation occurs. As well, a measure, the Correctional Program Assessment Inventory, has been developed to assess the quality of offender services.
Dr. Murray J. Goddard, B.A. (Calgary), Ph.D. (McMaster).
Professor
Office: HH9 / tel: 506-648-5732 / e-mail: goddard@unb.ca
RESEARCH INTERESTS: Animal learning, classical conditioning, occasion-setting
LABORATORY DESCRIPTION: My laboratory in HH132 contains an animal holding room, two research rooms, and two outside rooms to observe and score animal behaviour. One research room contains 4 specially constructed conditioning chambers, a low-light camera & VCR, and an IBM-compatible computer. Currently, in this room, we are studying the ability of rats to use food as a signal, or cue, for subsequent food pellet delivery (for example, see Goddard, 1999). The other research room contains 4 state of the art conditioning chambers equipped to deliver 3 different reinforcers and to automatically record magazine entries and 3 distinct behavioural responses. Currently, in this room, we are investigating the occasion-setting ability of an unconditioned stimulus (for example, see Goddard & Holland, 1997). Research in my laboratory is supported by grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
Dr. Harald K. Taukulis, B.A. (N. Ill.), MSc., Ph.D. (NFld).
Professor
Office: HH18 / tel: 506-648-5644 / e-mail: taukulis@unb.ca
RESEARCH INTERESTS: Psychopharmacology, Neuroscience
SCOPE OF RECENT RESEARCH: My general research interests focus on psychoactive drugs used in the treatment of various psychological and behavioural disorders. In particular, a variety of behavioural experiments, conducted with laboratory rats or mice, have dealt with benzodiazepines and other anxiolytics, antidepressants, and stimulants (notably caffeine and methylphenidate). Many of these studies have been concerned with the study of chronic (long-term) drug administration and its consequences for the central nervous system. For example, we have found that methylphenidate (commonly known by its trade name 'Ritalin'), when given to rats orally for several weeks, will diminish the animals' ability to form certain types of memories and will increase their defensive responses to threatening stimuli and events. Further experiments have shown that methylphenidate's impact upon the dopamine D1 receptor is responsible for these changes. The possibility that other adverse neurological and behavioural sequelae of the drug may yet be detected is currently the target of intensive investigation.
LABORATORY DESCRIPTION: Florence M. Christie Laboratory for the Life Sciences.
Dr. Alexander E. Wilson, B.A. (Mt. Allison), MA, Ph.D. (Manitoba).
Professor
Office: HH7 / tel: 506-648-5642 / email: awil@unb.ca
RESEARCH INTERESTS: Most of my research is in perception, especially optical illusions. I am also interested in test and survey development.
PERCEPTION LABORATORY: My laboratory is equipped to do research on illusions.