James MacKillop, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychology
Phone: (706) 542-3033
jmackill@uga.edu

I conduct a program of research using modern learning theory to understand the nature and treatment of addictive behavior. I principally conduct research using behavioral economics, which integrates the principles of operant conditioning and micro-economics, but I am also interested in the role of associative conditioning in addictive behavior. Specific foci of my research program include: 1) craving and the development/extinction of craving reactions to substance cues; 2) impulsivity; 3) demand for addictive substances; 4) genetic determinants of addictive behavior, in particular, intermediate phenotypes; 5) neuroeconomics (i.e., the neuroanatomical basis of economic decision-making; 6) medications for treating addictive behavior. The preceding are not distinct from one another but reflect interrelated interests on different levels of analysis.

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