SABA Doctoral Dissertation Grant Recipients
2009: Nigel Vahey, Dept. of Psychology, Maynooth Co. Kildare
While studying for a single honors undergraduate degree in Mathematics at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, Nigel Vahey gained experience working in care-giving roles with populations ranging from people with severe learning disabilities and challenging behaviors to those incarcerated within the Irish prison system. These experiences coupled with his analytic training in studying mathematics inspired Nigel to further his education within the experimentally oriented undergraduate degree in Psychology provided by the National University of Ireland, Maynooth (NUIM). Nigel’s undergraduate research provided the first examination of implicit self-esteem using the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP; see http://psychology.nuim.ie/IRAP/IRAP_1.shtml), a measure conceptualized by Prof. Barnes-Holmes using Relational Frame Theory (RFT). The success of this research prompted Nigel to continue with similar research to Ph.D. level under the guidance of Prof. Dermot Barnes-Holmes at NUIM.
Implicit beliefs, as operationalized by the IRAP, are largely driven by immediate and relatively brief relational responses; they are conceptualized in contradistinction to self-report measures which reflect extended and coherent relational response networks. In more colloquial terms, the IRAP captures spontaneous and automatic evaluations whereas self-report measures capture more carefully considered deliberative reactions. Given the compelling relevance of implicit measures to behaviors characterized by impulsiveness, Nigel decided to focus his Ph.D. research on examining the contributions of implicit processes to the psychological underpinnings of tobacco dependence.
In brief, Nigel’s Ph.D. research has already provided the first evidence that implicit reinforcement expectancies support experientially avoidant processes psychologically important in maintaining tobacco-dependence (e.g. http://psychology.nuim.ie/IRAP/SmokingStudies.zip). Implicit reinforcement expectancies are implicit belief tendencies about the effectiveness of smoking as a means of regulating unpalatable feelings. In other words, to the degree that smokers implicitly believe that smoking can enhance their enjoyment (positively reinforce; e.g. “I enjoy smoking when I’m happy”) and reduce their emotional distress (negatively reinforce; e.g. “I need to smoke when I’m upset”) then they are more likely to automatically engage in smoking as a means of controlling and coping with fluctuating thoughts and feelings throughout the day.
By examining reinforcement expectancies, Nigel’s research aims to provide a unique and efficient means of assessing two core progeny of RFT: relational responding and experiential avoidance. The smoking-IRAP’s Nigel has so far developed with Prof. Barnes-Holmes appear to provide superior behavioral prediction relative to comparable self-reports or alternative implicit measures (see http://psychology.nuim.ie/IRAP/SmokingStudies.zip); Nigel’s research has potential to substantially improve understanding of the role of implicit avoidant processes in maintaining smoking and in precipitating smoking-relapse. Upon completion of his Ph.D., Nigel wishes to conduct post-doctoral research to further pursue the role of implicit reinforcement expectancies in supporting addictive processes. The support provided by the SABA Doctoral Dissertation Grant will undoubtedly assist Nigel in achieving these goals and he would like to express his gratitude to the generous members of the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis whose contributions make the grant possible.
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