Research Methods Seminar
Erika Hussey, NACS
Lecturers/Instructors
Thomas Capo
Lecturer
BPS 2147A
Introduction : Academic credentials - PhD in Cognitive Psychology (SUNY Buffalo), specializing in memory, visual perception, language comprehension, mental imagery
Scott F. Hall
Lecturer
Introduction : After receiving a B.A. in Psychology from Harvard University in 1987, Dr. Hall continued to work with his undergraduate research supervisors, Profs. Ann Kelley and James R. Stellar for several years prior to pursuing graduate work at Cambridge University with Professor Trevor W. Robbins, Ph.D., F.R.S. In 1994 Dr. Hall received a Ph.D. in Neurobiology for his thesis entitled The behavioral and neurochemical effects of social separation on the rat which investigated the effects of early social deprivation on brain monoamine systems using behavioral, pharmacological and neurochemical approaches. This thesis developed isolation-rearing as an animal model of schizophrenia that has greater validity than other models and subsequently has become widely used by pharmaceutical companies developing novel therapeutics. As a postdoctoral fellow Dr. Hall was a National Research Council Research Associate at the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, where he worked with the Scientific Director, Dr. Markku Linnoila. During his postgraduate work Dr. Hall pursued his interests in environmental effects on psychopathological phenotypes using animal models, incorporating genetic components to begin to study gene-environment interactions. Wanting to gain a greater understanding of genetics, with the ultimate goal of understanding the genetic underpinnings of gene-environment interactions in isolation-rearing, Dr. Hall joined the Molecular Neurobiology Branch at the National Institute on Drug Abuse in 1999. Since 2001 Dr. Hall has lead the transgenic mouse group, investigating the molecular basis of addiction and related psychiatric phenotypes. This work has characterized the polygenic basis of these phenotypes, but is the groundwork for future studies to examine the molecular basis of gene-environment interactions. Dr. Hall is the author of 65 scientific articles. Since 1995 Dr. Hall has also lectured in the Department of Psychology at the University of Maryland.
Catalina E Kopetz
Faculty research associate
Cole Activities House 2103Q
Introduction : Academic credentials: Catalina holds a BA in psychology from Babe_-Bolyai University in Romania, a MA in experimental psychology from Université de Savoie in France, and a PhD from University of Maryland, College Park. She is currently working as a faculty research associate at the Center for Addictions, Personality, and Emotion Research at University of Maryland, College Park and as an associate assistant professor at Babe_-Bolyai University in Romania. Research: Catalina Kopetz research interests focus on self-regulation phenomena from the perspective of motivation as cognition. She is particularly interested in how the dynamic relation between goals and means may influence ones course of action. Her research resulted in several authored and co-authored papers. Current projects involve both theoretical and empirical research on the unconscious aspect of self-regulation in terms of goal-means and inter-goal associations and its implications for both normal (e. g. self-regulation of dieting behavior) and abnormal behavior (e. g. risk taking and addiction). She has been recently awarded a two-year NIDA fellowship to investigate the cognitive and motivational consequences of engaging in sex exchange for crack cocaine. Teaching: During her academic career, Catalina Kopetz has accumulated extensive teaching experience in social psychology and research methods.