RETRAINING AUTOMATIC BIASES RELATED TO PROBLEM DRINKING IN COLLEGE STUDENTS

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The major objectives of the proposed Pathway to Independence Award are the acceleration and completion of Dr. Kristen Lindgren's training in alcohol research and the launching of her career as an independent scientist with a tenure-track assistant professor position. Dr. Lindgren is a psychologist and a postdoctoral fellow on an NIAAA T32 training grant at the University of Washington (UW). The 2-year K99 Phase will complete Dr. Lindgren's training in behavioral approaches related to the etiology and prevention of alcohol use disorders, with an emphasis on the role of automatic processes (i.e., processes that occur automatically, without conscious control). With supervision, Dr. Lindgren will complete (a) an on-going longitudinal investigation of automatic and controlled processes and their role in problem drinking and sexual assault in college women and (b) coursework related to addictive behaviors and multi-level statistics. Dr. Lindgren will also dedicate a portion of her time to dissemination of research findings through manuscript preparation and submission, consultation with experts on alcohol and automatic processes, and preparation of materials for a national job search. The proposed mentors, Drs. Neighbors, Greenwald, & Kaysen, are experts in college drinking, automatic social cognition, and sexual victimization, respectively, and have on-going mentoring relationships with Dr. Lindgren. UW is a world-class research institution, with the resources necessary to complete the aims of the K99. The 3-year ROO Phase will allow Dr. Lindgren to establish her laboratory, conduct 3 studies, and prepare and submit an R01 to NIAAA. Those studies extend Dr. Lindgren's research on automatic processes and problem drinking to investigate (a) the feasibility of retraining automatic processes and (b) the utility of retraining in reducing alcohol consumption and problems. Specifically, these studies will identify and retrain automatic associations predictive of heavy drinking and investigate retraining's influence on drinking. The studies will also provide pilot data for Dr. Lindgren's R01 submission. The proposed award is accordant with NIH's goal of increasing and maintaining a strong cohort of independent investigators to address the Nation's behavioral and clinical research needs. With its emphasis on reducing drinking in high-risk populations (underage drinkers) and on translating basic science methods to applied topics (alcohol consumption), the proposed research is highly consistent with NIAAA's mission.