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Tests and Measures

Welcome to the
Developmental Psychopathology
Lab website!

 

The goals of this web site are to provide:

  • the most up-to-date information on the research being conducted by the lab and the people involved in this research,

  • access to or instructions for obtaining the measures that have been used in research conducted by the lab, and

  • information for prospective graduate students who may be interested in joining this exciting group of researchers.

If you have any questions or suggestions about anything contained in this web site, please don't hesitate to contact me at pfrick@uno.edu.

Overall Goals

    The overall goals of the laboratory are:
  • to conduct research on various forms of childhood psychopathology from a developmental psychopathology perspective and
  • to use this research to guide advances in our assessment and intervention technology for emotional and behavioral disorders in youth.

This goal fits within the overarching framework of our doctoral program in Applied Developmental Psychology which has chosen the developmental psychopathology perspective to guide all aspects of its training of students. For more information on the basic assumptions of the developmental psychopathology model and how it influences our training model, please go to our graduate program website and download our program brochure.

Specific Research Emphases
The number and variety of specific research projects being conducted in the laboratory will vary depending on a number of factors, most importantly being the interest of the students working in the laboratory. At any one time, the laboratory has between 8 and 12 students at the graduate or undergraduate level working on research projects.

  • Providing students with in depth experience in all phases of conducting research in developmental psychopathology is the lab's number 1 priority!

A. Developmental Pathways to Severe Antisocial and Aggressive Behavior. The vast majority of the research conducted by the lab in recent years has focused on understanding the different developmental pathways through which children develop severe conduct problems. Specifically, this research operates from the basic developmental psychopathology assumption that the same outcome (e.g., antisocial behavior) can result from a number of different developmental processes. The goal of this research is to understand these diverse pathways through which children may develop severe antisocial behavior and aggression and to use this understanding to enhance preventive and treatment interventions for antisocial youth.

  • This research has documented a group of youth, those with callous-unemotional (CU) traits, who seem to show a number of distinct causal processes related to their antisocial behavior and who show a particularly severe and aggressive pattern of antisocial behavior.

    Sample Publications:

    • Frick, P.J. & White, S.F.  (2008).  The importance of callous-unemotional traits for the development of aggressive and antisocial behavior.  Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 49, 359-375. Pdf file

    • Frick, P.J. & Dickens, C. (2006). Current perspectives on conduct disorder. Current Psychiatry Reports, 59-72. Pdf file

    • Frick, P.J., Stickle, T.R., Dandreaux, D.M., Farrell, J.M., & Kimois, E.R. (2005). Callous-unemotional traits in predicting the severity and stability of conduct problems and delinquency. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 33, 471-487.

    • Kruh, I.P., Frick, P.J., & Clements, C.B. (2005). Historical and personality correlates to the violence patterns of juveniles tried as adults. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 32 , 69-96.

    • Marsee, M.A., Silverthorn, P., & Frick, P.J. (2005). The association of psychopathic traits with aggression and delinquency in non-referred boys and girls. Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 23, 803-817. Pdf file

    • Salekin, R.T. & RFrick, P.J. (2005). Psychopathy in children and adolescents: A developmental psychopathology perspective. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 33, 403-409.

    • Vasay, M.W.., Kotov, R., Frick, P.J., & Loney, B.R. (2005) . The latent structure of psychopathy in youth: A taxometric investigation. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 33, 411-429.

    • Frick, P.J.  (2004).  Integrating research on temperament and childhood psychopathology.  Its pitfalls and promise. 

    • Frick, P.J., & Morris, A.S. (2004). Temperament and developmental pathways to severe conduct problems. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 33, 54-68. Pdf file

    • Kimonis, E.R., Frick, P.J., & Barry, C.T. (2004). Callous-unemotional traits and delinquent peer affiliation. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 72, 956-966. Pdf file

    • Frick, P.J., Cornell, A.H., Barry, C.T., Bodin, S.D., & Dane, H.A. (2003). Callous-unemotional traits and conduct problems in the prediction of conduct problem severity, aggression, and self-report of delinquency. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 31, 457-470. Pdf file

    • Frick, P.J., Cornell, A.H., Bodin, S.D., Dane, H.A., Barry, C.T., & Loney, B.R. (2003). Callous-Unemotional traits and developmental pathways to severe aggressive and antisocial behavior. Developmental Psychology, 39, 246-260. Pdf file

    • Frick, P.J. Kimonis, E.R., Dandreaux, D.M., & Farrell, J.M. (2003). The four-year stability of psychopathic traits in non-referred youth. Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 21, 713-736. Pdf file

    • Pardini, D.A., Lochman, J.E., & Frick, P.J. (2003). Callous-unemotional traits and social cognitive processes in adjudicated youth: Exploring the schema of juveniles with psychopathic traits. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 42, 364-371. Pdf file

Some applications of this research include:

  • the development of a rating scale, the Antisocial Process Screening Device, to screen for CU traits and other constructs related to antisocial behavior,

    Sample Publications:

    • Frick, P.J. & Hare, R.D. (2001). The Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD). Toronto: Multi-Health Systems.

  • the development of a rating scale, the Inventory of Callous Unemotional Traits, to provide a more in-depth assessment of CU traits.

    Sample Publications

    • Essau, C.A., Sasagawa, S., & Frick, P.J. (2006). Callous-unemotional traits in a community sample of adolescents. Assessment. 13, 454-469. Pdf file

    • Kimonis, E.R., Frick, P.J., Skeem, J.L., Marsee, M.A., Cruise, K., Munoz, L.C., Aucoin, K.J., & Morris, A.S. (2008). Assessing callous-unemotional traits in adolescent offenders: Validation of the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry. Special Issue: Psychopathy and risk assessment in children and adolescents, 31 (3), 241-252. Pdf file

  • the development of laboratory measures to assess processes that may be involved in the development of severe conduct problems and aggression for some youth,

    • Sample Publications:

    • Kimonis, E.R., Frick, P.J., Munoz, L.C. & Aucoin, K.J.  (2007).  Can a laboratory measure of emotional processing enhance the statistical prediction of aggression and delinquency in detained adolescents with callous-unemotional traits?  Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 35, 773-785.  Pdf file

    • Kimonis, E.R., Frick, P.J., Fazekas, H., & Loney, B.R. (2006). Psychopathy, aggression, and the processing of emotional stimuli in non-referred boys and girls. Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 24, 21-37. Pdf file

    • Loney, B.R., Frick, P.J., Clements, C.B., Ellis, M.L., & Kerlin, K. (2003). Callous-unemotional traits, impulsivity, and emotional processing in antisocial adolescents. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 32, 66-80. Pdf file

    • O'Brien, B. S. & Frick, P.J. (1996). Reward dominance: Associations with anxiety, conduct problems, and psychopathy in children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 24, 223-240. Pdf file

  • the development of a rating scale to assess important facets of aggression in youth, 

    Sample Publications:

    • Munoz, L.C., Frick, P.J., Kimonis, E.R., & Aucoin, K.J.  (2008).   Types of aggression, responsiveness to provocation, and callous-unemotional traits in detained adolescents.  Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 36, 15-28. Pdf file

    • Marsee, M.A., & Frick, P.J. (2007).  Exploring the cognitive and emotional correlates to proactive and reactive aggression in a sample of detained girls.  Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 35, 969-981.  Pdf file

  • making recommendations for enhancing the assessment of children with severe conduct problems, and

    Sample Publications:

    • Frick, P.J. & McMahon, R.J.  (2008).  Child and adolescent conduct problems.  In J. Hunsley & E.J. Mash (Eds)., A guide to assessments that work (pp. 41-66).   New York: Oxford University.

    • McMahon, R.J. & Frick, P.J. (2005). Evidence-based assessment of conduct problems in children and adolescents. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 34, 477-505. Pdf file

    • Frick, P.J., & Loney, B.R. (2000). The use of laboratory and performance-based measures in the assessment of children and adolescents with conduct disorders. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 29, 540-554. Pdf file

  • making recommendations for enhancing interventions for children with severe conduct problems.

    Sample Publications:

    • Frick, P.J. (2006). Developmental pathways to conduct disorder. Child Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 15, 311-332. Pdf file

    • Frick, P.J. (2004). Developmental pathways to conduct disorder: Implications for serving youth who show severe aggressive and antisocial behavior. Psychology in the Schools, 41, 823-834. Pdf file

    • Frick, P.J. (2001). Effective interventions for children and adolescents with conduct disorder. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 46, 26-37. Pdf file

    • Frick, P.J. (1998). Conduct disorders and severe antisocial behavior. New York: Plenum.

B. Interactions between the child's temperament and his or her family context in the development of psychopathology. A critical component to a developmental psychopathology perspective is the recognition that any developmental outcome, be it adaptive or maladaptive, is rarely the result of a single factor. It is usually the result of multiple interacting factors, with some of the most interesting interactions being between individual differences within the child and influences within the child's psychosocial context. A continuing line of research in the lab is on understanding these interactions and how they contribute to a child's risk for certain types of emotional and behavioral difficulties.

    Sample Publications:

    • Cornell, A. H. & Frick, P.J.  (2007).  The contribution of parenting styles and behavioral inhibition to the development of conscience in preschool children.  Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 36, 305-318. Pdf file

    • Aucoin, K.J., Frick, P.J., & Bodin, S.D.  (2006). Corporal punishment and child adjustment.  Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology. 27, 527-541. Pdf file

    • Kimonis, E.R., Frick, P.J., Boris, N.W., Smyke, A.T., Zeanah, C.H., Cornell, A.H., & Farrell, J.M. (2006). Callous-unemotional traits, behavioral inhibition, and parenting: Independent predictors of aggression in a high risk pre-school sample. Journal of Chid and Family Studies. 15, 745-756. Pdf file.

    • Robison, S.D., Frick, P.J., & Morris, A.S. (2005). Temperament and parenting: Implications for understanding developmental pathways to conduct disorder. Minerva Pediatrica, 57, 373-388.

    • Wootton, J.M., Frick, P.J., Shelton, K.K., & Silverthorn, P. (1997). Ineffective parenting and childhood conduct problems: The moderating role of callous-unemotional traits. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 65, 301-308.

Some applications of this research include:

  • the development of a method for assessing the parenting constructs most consistently related to conduct problems in youth, the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire.

    Sample Publications:

    • Essau, C.A., Sasagawa, S., & Frick, P.J. (2006). Psychometric properties of the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire. Journal of Child and Family Studies. 15, 597-616. Pdf file

    • Frick, P.J., Christian, R.C. & Wootton, J.M. (1999). Age trends in the association between parenting practices and conduct problems. Behavior Modification, 23, 106-128.Pdf file

    • Shelton, K.K., Frick, P.J., & Wootton, J. (1996). The assessment of parenting practices in families of elementary school-aged children. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 25, 317-327.Pdf file

C. Enhancing the assessment and diagnosis of childhood disorders. Another focus of research in the developmental psychopathology lab is in trying to use research to enhance the practice of assessment and diagnosis of childhood psychopathology. The methods used in the practice of psychological assessment has often been driven more by an allegiance to a theoretical orientation that underlies a particular method of assessment, or even more problematic, by an allegiance to a particular assessment technique, rather than being based on the most current understanding of the psychological construct that is being assessed. This has led to a dichotomy between measures of psychopathology being used research and assessment techniques being used in clinical practice. If the field is to improve its treatment technology by being guided by advances in basic research it is critical to translate measures that are being developed and used in research into forms that can also be used in practice. Therefore, a continuing focus of the lab is to apply its research findings to enhancing the science and technology of assessment of childhood psychopathology.

    Sample Publications:

    • Kamphaus, R.W., & Frick, P. (2005). Clinical assessment of children's personality and behavior. (2nd edition). New York: Springer.

    • Frick, P.J., & Cornell, A.H. (2003). Child and adolescent assessment and diagnosis research. In M. C. Roberts & S.S. Ilardi (Eds.), Methods of research in clinical psychology (pp. 262-281). United Kingdom: Blackwell.

    • Loney, B.R.. & Frick, P.J. (2003). Structured diagnostic interviewing. In C.R. Reynolds & R.W. Kamphaus (Eds.), Handbook of educational assessment of children, 2nd ed (pp. 235-247). New York: Guilford.

    • Frick, P.J. (2000). Laboratory and performance-based measures of childhood disorders. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 29, 475-478.Pdf file

    • Frick, P.J., Lahey, B.B., Applegate, B., Kerdyck, L., Ollendick, T., Hynd, G.W., Garfinkel, B., Greenhill, L., Biederman, J., Barkley, R.A., McBurnett, K., Newcorn, J., & Waldman, I. (1994). DSM-IV field trials for the disruptive behavior disorders: Use of symptom utility estimates. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 33, 529-539.

Modified 8/20/08