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Sandra
Japuntich, BA, Graduate Student, Project Assistant
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Sandra
Japuntich is a graduate student in the clinical psychology program
at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has been a member
of this program since Fall, 2003. She is working under Dr. Timothy
Baker examining various aspects of nicotine addiction.
Japuntich
is particularly interested in how smokers use cigarettes -- and
the nicotine they deliver -- to regulate their emotions. For this
reason, her research focuses primarily on individuals with a history
of depression, who typically struggle to regulate their emotions.
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Sandra
Japuntich,
Graduate Student
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If smoking functions
as an emotion regulation device, individuals with depression should
show more difficulty in smoking cessation attempts and may experience
nicotine withdrawal differently than non-depressed smokers. She hopes
to extend this line of research to other psychopathologies in order
to better understand the critical elements of addiction and to improve
treatment for nicotine dependence.
Japuntich began
working at CTRI in 2002 as an undergraduate research assistant. She
graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 2003 with a double major
in Psychology and Spanish. She enjoyed working at CTRI so much that
she began her graduate work here the following fall.
To
schedule interviews with UW-CTRI representatives, contact Communications.
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