James MacKillop, Ph.D.

  • Associate Professor
  • Clinical Psychology Program
  • Ph.D., SUNY-Binghamton, 2005
  • Office: Room 152
  • Ph: (706) 542-3033
  • Fax: (706) 542-3275
  • Email: jmackill {at} uga dt edu
  • Dr. MacKillop will be reviewing applications for the admission of a graduate student for fall 2013.

Laboratory Webpage

Dr. MacKillop's Vita

Research Interests

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.

Selected Publications

Murphy, J.G., Yurasek, A.M., Denhardt, A.A., MacKillop, J., Martens, M.P., McDevitt-Murphy, M.E., & Skidmore, J.R. (in press). Symptoms of depression and PTSD are associated with elevated alcohol demand. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. PDF

Ray, L.A., Bujarski, S., MacKillop, J., Courtney, K.E., Monti, P.M., & Miotto, K. (in press). Sensitivity to alcohol among alcohol dependent individuals: effects of the mu-opioid receptor (OPRM1) gene and alcoholism severity. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research

MacKillop, J. (in press). Integrating Behavioral Economics and Behavioral Genetics: Delayed Reward Discounting as an Endophenotype for Addictive Disorders. Journal for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. PDF

Fortune, E.E., MacKillop, J., Miller, J.D., Campbell, W.C., Clifton, A.D., Goodie, A.S. (in press). Social Density of Gambling and Its Association with Gambling Problems: An Initial Investigation. Journal of Gambling Studies. PDF

Miller, J.D., MacKillop, J., Fortune, E.E., Maples, J., Lance, C.E., Campbell, W.K., Goodie, A.S. (in press). Personality correlates of pathological gambling derived from Big Three and Big Five personality models. Psychiatry Research. PDF

Meisel, M.K., Clifton, A.D., MacKillop, J., Miller, J.D., Campbell, W.K., Goodie, A.S. (in press). Egocentric Social Network Analysis of Pathological Gambling: An Initial Study. Addiction. PDF

Chase, H.W., MacKillop, J., Hogarth, L. (in press). Isolating behavioural economic indices of demand in relation to nicotine dependence. Psychopharmacology. PDF

Acker†, J, & MacKillop, J. (in press). Behavioral Economic Analysis of Cue-elicited Craving for Tobacco: A Virtual Reality Study. Nicotine and Tobacco Research. doi: 10.1093/ntr/nts341 PDF

Amlung†, M. T., Sweet, L.H., Acker†, J.D., Brown†, C.L., & MacKillop, J. (in press). Dissociable brain signatures of choice conflict and immediate reward preferences in alcohol use disorders. Addiction Biology PDF

Ryan, K.K., MacKillop, J., & Carpenter, M.J. (2013). The relationship between impulsivity, risk-taking propensity, and nicotine dependence among older adolescents. Addictive Behaviors, 38, 1431-1434. PDF

Bidwell, L.C., MacKillop, J., Murphy, J.G., Tidey, J.W., Colby, S.M. (2012). Examining the factor structure of a behavioral economic demand curve measure of nicotine reinforcement in adolescent smokers. Addictive Behaviors, 37, 1257-63. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2012.06.009. PDF

MacKillop, J., Amlung, M., Pryor, L.R., Ray, L.A., Sweet, L., Munafo, M.R. (2011). Delay reward discounting and addiction: A meta-analysis. Psychopharmacology, 216(3):305-321.

MacKillop, J., O'Hagen, S.E., Murphy, J.G., McGeary, J.E., Ray, L.A., Tidey, J.W., Monti, P.M., & Lisman, S.A. (2010). Behavioral economic analysis of cue-elicited craving for alcohol. Addiction, 105(9):1599-607.

MacKillop, J. Miranda, Jr., R., Monti, P.M., Ray, L.A., Tidey, J.W., Rohsenow, D.J., Gwaltney, G.J., McGeary, J.E., & Swift, R.M. (2010). Alcohol demand, delayed reward discounting, and craving in relation to drinking and alcohol use disorders. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 119, 106-14.

MacKillop, J., Obasi, E.M., Amlung, M.T., McGeary, J.G., & Knopik, V.S. (2010).The role of genetic factors in nicotine dependence. Current Cardiovascular Risk Reports, 4, 446-453.

MacKillop, J. & Kahler, C.W. (2009). Delayed reward discounting predicts smoking cessation treatment outcome in heavy drinkers. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 104, 197-203.

MacKillop, J., Murphy, J.G., Tidey, J.W., Kahler, C.W., Ray, L.A., & Bickel, W.K. (2009). Latent structure of facets of alcohol reinforcement from a behavioral economic demand curve. Psychopharmacology (Berl.), 203, 33-40.

MacKillop, J., Murphy, J.G., Ray, L.A., Eisenberg, D.T.A., Lisman, S.A., Lum, J.K., & Wilson, D.S. (2008). Further validation of the cigarette purchase task for assessing the relative reinforcing efficacy of nicotine in smokers. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 16, 57-65.

MacKillop, J., Menges, D. P., McGeary, J.E., & Lisman, S.A. (2007). Influences of craving and DRD4 VNTR genotype on the relative value of alcohol. Behavioral and Brain Functions, 3, doi: 10.1186/1744-9081-3-11.

MacKillop, J. & Murphy, J.G. (2007). A behavioral economic measure of demand for alcohol predicts brief intervention outcomes. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 89, 223-233.

Current Grants

2008-2013
K23 AA016936
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Title: Enhancing Alcoholism Pharmacotherapy Research via Behavioral Economics
Role: Principal Investigator
2009-2012
R21 AA017696-01A1
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Title: D-Cycloserine to Enhance Extinction to Alcohol Cues
Role: Principal Investigator
2010-2014
P30 DA027827 (Parent Grant)
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Title: Novel Neuroeconomic Intermediate Phenotypes for Nicotine Dependence: A Pilot Study
Role: Pilot Project Principal Investigator
2012-2014
Institute for Research on Gambling Disorders
Title: Social Network Analysis of Pathological Gambling
Role: Co-Investigator (PI: Adam Goodie, PhD; University of Georgia)
2011-2016
R01 DA032015 National Institute on Drug Abuse
Title: Genetic Basis of Impulsive Behavior in Humans
Role: Co-Investigator (PI: Harriet de Wit, PhD; University of Chicago)