Our department is on the cutting-edge in actively developing the science to inform psychological instruction and application through clinical care. Our faculty heavily involve undergraduate and graduate students in our research projects, including funded work which advances education; clinical care of anxiety, depression, and PTSD; family and general health; and the understanding of sex differences in clinical disorders like substance use and health issues like sleep. Our faculty’s work advances the care, treatment, and even influences legislative decisions related to historically understudied and underserved populations including LGBTQIA+, Appalachia, and women.

To showcase one recent example of a funded project:

Recent NIMH-funded projects in the Cognitive Neuroscience and Behavior Therapy (CnBT) Lab aim to enhance the treatment of anxiety and related disorders by targeting brain processes believed to underlie therapeutic learning that is promoted by exposure therapies. For example, the CnBT Lab recently began a multi-site trial with UT-Austin to test if cardiovascular exercise augments the effects of imaginal exposure on brain activity and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder.

Our faculty scholars are heavily involved in disseminating their work through hundreds of articles. As one recent example: 

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/psychology/Colloquium_Readings/Whitehurs…

They have published a number of books. As but one example:

Finally, they engage the press to disseminate their work:

https://spectrumnews1.com/ky/louisville/news/2024/03/11/harris-center

Our graduate students conduct their own cutting edge work:

Effect of Menstrual Cycle on Rewarding Properties of Alcohol Cues in Women.pdf