lakehead u researcher receives funding to study effects of abuse and neglect on children’s memory

lakehead and rochester researchers receive over $1.5 million (us) in funding

(thunder bay - october 26, 2004) a lakeheaduniversity researcher has teamed with colleagues at the university of rochester, new york, to look into the memory processes in abused and neglected children.

dr. mark l. howe, a professor of psychology at lakehead, along with dante cicchetti and sheree toth, both with the mt. hope family centre in rochester, were recently awarded a national institute of mental health (nimh) research grant valued at over $1.5 million us.

"the main focus of this research project is to assess whether experiences of child maltreatment affect the operation of memory in abused and neglected children," says dr. howe. "these findings will not only have important theoretical implications, but will also play a key role in forensic settings, have consequences for the clinical treatment of these children, and inform social policy regarding these children. this project will have significant implications for society regarding planning for the needs of children who have been physically abused, sexually abused, or neglected."

dr. howe says that the field of developmental psychopathology has been characterized by a focus on the relations between normal and atypical development and, therefore, lends itself to providing a framework for the translation of normal developmental theory and research toward understanding developmental processes in atypical and disordered populations. in fact, this grant is among the first to be awarded under nimh's new translational grant program that encourages collaboration between those in the experimental and clinical sciences of psychology.

"the combination of basic cognitive science and developmental psychopathology serves as a powerful force for translating work on memory into the arena of trauma," he says. "specifically, it will enhance our understanding of the possible effects of child maltreatment on basic memory processes."

according to dr. kim fedderson, dean of social sciences and humanities, "we are particularly fortunate at lakeheaduniversity to have a researcher like dr. howe, who is an internationally recognized scholar and who is committed to sharing the fruits of his research with the wider community. dr. howe continues to make important contributions to our understanding of memory and its development."

dr. howe is the associate editor of developmental review, a professor of psychology, and the former dean of research at lakeheaduniversity. his professional career has spanned the academic and public communities (particularly those areas concerned with children and the law) and continues to do so. his research (funded continuously by the natural sciences and engineering research council of canada since the beginning of his scientific career over 20 years ago) is focused on children's cognitive development, the results of which have been widely published in more than 150 journal articles, books, and conference proceedings. his recent work has been focused on autobiographical memory and children's memory for traumatic experiences (e.g., child victims of abuse, witnesses to violent crime in the family). a fellow of the american psychological society, he serves as a consultant to the police, crown prosecutors, and defense attorneys concerning memory, children, and the law. he has consulted in over 100 cases, provided expert testimony in over 20, and contributed to the development of training manuals for front-line workers (e.g., social workers, police) on appropriate procedures for questioning children about violent crimes.

dr. howe will be working between thunder bay and rochester during this research project. he will be in thunder bay during the week of oct. 25. please call dr. howe directly at 807-346-7954.

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contact: mark l. howe, department of psychology, lakeheaduniversity, 807-346-7954

eleanor abaya, office of communications, lakeheaduniversity, 807-343-8372