The NIDA International Program has granted Roy Otten, Ph.D., a Distinguished International Scientist Collaboration Award (DISCA) to support his work with Daniel Shaw, Ph.D., at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Otten is a professor and cochair of the department of developmental psychology at the Radboud University Behavioral Science Institute. He spent his 2015 NIDA INVEST Fellowship at Arizona State University with the late Thomas Dishion, Ph.D.
Using data from the NIDA-funded Early Steps Multisite Study randomized control trial, Dr. Otten and Dr. Shaw will study measures of effortful control such as attentional regulation, inhibitory control, and activation control. They will examine the extent to which these measures co-evolve as a result of early aversive experiences and how they are linked to behaviors and intertwined during different phases of drug use by adolescents. Understanding behavioral measures of effortful control could inform prevention policy and practice.