PERSONAL INFORMATION

Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute
University of California, San Francisco
401 Parnassus Avenue, Box 0984-TRC
San Francisco, CA 94143-0984
Phone: (415) 502-4557
Fax: (415) 476-7734
Email: acton@personalityresearch.org
Ethnicity: Cherokee

EDUCATION

University of California, San Francisco
Postdoctoral Fellow: Drug Abuse Treatment Research (Present)
Thesis: "Demoralization as a Predictor of Smoking Treatment Outcome"

Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
Ph.D. Psychology: Personality (September 1999)
Thesis: "Interpersonal Theory and Circumplex Structure"

Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
A.B. Psychology, cum laude (May 1993)
Thesis: "Is Children's Anxiety Categorical or Dimensional? Analysis of the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale Using Item Response Theory"

GRANTS AWARDED

Acton, G. S. (2001). Demoralization as a predictor of smoking treatment outcome. Individual National Research Service Award (NRSA) funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Principal Investigator (PI): G. Scott Acton. Dates: 2001-2002. Funding level: $40,900.

Acton, G. S. (2001). Depression as a predictor of smoking treatment outcome. Postdoctoral fellowship funded by the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (TRDRP). PI: G. Scott Acton. Dates: 2001-2003. Funding level: $70,000.

Acton, G. S. (2001). Demoralization as a predictor of smoking treatment outcome. Pilot study grant funded by the UCSF Treatment Research Center. PI: G. Scott Acton. Dates: 2001-2003. Funding level: $5,000.

Acton, G. S. (1995). Interpersonal theory and circumplex structure. Graduate Research Fellowship funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). PI: G. Scott Acton. Dates: 1995-1999. Funding level: $68,200.

Acton, G. S. (1995). Interpersonal theory and circumplex structure. Predoctoral research fellowship awarded by the Ford Foundation (declined in favor of NSF fellowship). PI: G. Scott Acton. Dates: 1995-1999. Funding level: $61,600.

HONORS AND OTHER AWARDS

• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Travel Award recipient for presentation to College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD), Scottsdale, Arizona, 2001
  
• CPDD Early Career Investigator Award recipient for presentation in San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2000
  
• Departmental Travel Award recipient for presentation to American Psychological Society, Washington, D.C., 1997
  
• Departmental Travel Award recipient for presentation to American Psychological Association, New York, 1995
  
• National Science Foundation Summer Research Fellow, 1995
  
• National Merit Scholar, 1989-1993
  

ARTICLES PUBLISHED

Acton, G. S. (1998). Classification of psychopathology: The nature of language. The Journal of Mind and Behavior, 19, 243-256. Lead article.

Acton, G. S. (2001). Classification of psychopathology: Goals and methods in an empirical approach. Manuscript accepted pending revision. Theory & Psychology.

Acton, G. S., Prochaska, J. J., Kaplan, A. S., Small, T., & Hall, S. M. (2001). Depression and stages of change for smoking in psychiatric outpatients. Addictive Behaviors, 26, 621-631. Lead article.

Acton, G. S., & Revelle, W. (2001). Circumplex structure in interpersonal personality measures: Testing five instruments using new criteria. Manuscript accepted pending revision. Journal of Personality Assessment.

Acton, G. S., & Schroeder, D. H. (2001). Sensory discrimination as related to general intelligence. Intelligence, 29, 263-271.

ARTICLES SUBMITTED

Acton, G. S.  Measurement of impulsivity in a hierarchical model of global personality traits: Implications for substance use.

Acton, G. S., & Revelle, W.  Evaluation of ten circumplex criteria.

ARTICLES IN PROGRESS

Acton, G. S.  The interpersonal priciple of complementarity: A meta-analysis.

Acton, G. S., Wilson, M., Kunz, J. D., Delucchi, K. L., & Hall, S. M.  Demoralization as a predictor of smoking treatment outcome.

ABSTRACTS PUBLISHED

Acton, G. S., Delucchi, K. L., & Hall, S. M. (2001). Depression severity as a predictor of smoking treatment outcome [Abstract]. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 63 (Suppl. 1), S4.

Acton, G. S., Prochaska, J. J., Kaplan, A. S., & Hall, S. M. (2000). Smoking and depression among psychiatric outpatients [Abstract]. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 60 (Suppl. 1), S2.

PRESENTATIONS

Acton, G. S. (2001). Depression as a predictor of smoking treatment outcome. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program, Los Angeles.

Acton, G. S., Delucchi, K. L., & Hall, S. M. (2001). Depression severity as a predictor of smoking treatment outcome. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, Scottsdale, Arizona.

Acton, G. S., & Revelle, W. (2001). Circumplex structure in interpersonal personality measures: Testing five instruments using new criteria. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Interpersonal Theory and Research, Montreal, Canada.

Acton, G. S., Prochaska, J. J., Kaplan, A. S., & Hall, S. M. (2000). Smoking and depression among psychiatric outpatients. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Acton, G. S., & Jang, K. M. (1999). Nomological relations of the interpersonal circle and other personality taxonomies. Poster presented at the biennial meeting of the International Society for the Study of Individual Differences, Vancouver, Canada.

Jang, K. M., & Acton, G. S. (1999). Nomological relations of the interpersonal circle and other personality taxonomies. Address presented at the Chicago Regional Undergraduate Psychology Symposium, Evanston, Illinois.

Acton, G. S., & Revelle, W. (1999). New criteria for circumplex structure. Poster presented at the biennial meeting of the International Society for the Study of Individual Differences, Vancouver, Canada.

Acton, G. S., & Schroeder, D. H. (1999). Color discrimination as related to other aptitudes: An analysis of the Farnsworth-Munsell 100-Hue Test. Poster presented at the biennial meeting of the International Society for the Study of Individual Differences, Vancouver, Canada.

Acton, G. S. (1997a). Testing for circumplex structure in the Interpersonal Checklist and the Interpersonal Adjective Scales. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Society, Washington, D.C.

Acton, G. S. (1997b). Testing for circumplex structure in the Interpersonal Checklist and the Interpersonal Adjective Scales. Address presented at the annual Northwestern-University of Chicago Psychology Conference, Evanston, Illinois.

Acton, G. S. (1996). On the nature of language in the classification of psychopathology. Address presented at the annual Northwestern-University of Chicago Psychology Conference, Chicago.

Acton, G. S., & Revelle, W. (1996). Testing for circumplex structure in the interpersonal circle and the structural analysis of social behavior. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago.

Acton, G. S. (1995). On the nature of language in the classification of psychopathology. Address presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, New York.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

• Substance use, particularly smoking
• Individual differences in personality, intelligence, and psychopathology
• Research methodology, including item response theory, factor analysis, and meta-analysis
• Philosophy of science

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

University of California, San Francisco (1999-2002)

• Am investigating the relation between demoralization and smoking treatment outcome by creating a new measure, the Demoralization Scale Item Response Theory (DSIRT); by cross-validating the DSIRT against other measures; and by using the DSIRT to predict smoking treatment outcome within four treatment groups--cognitive-behavioral therapy, standard group therapy, nicotine replacement, and nortriptyline--from three previous randomized clinical trials of smoking cessation.
• Am investigating the role of varying criteria for nicotine dependence using item response theory.
• Reviewed the literature on the measurement of impulsivity and its substance use correlates.
• Conducted study of depression and stages of change for smoking in psychiatric outpatients, finding that current major depression is 51% less prevalent in patients who have never smoked.

  Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois (1994-1999)
  

• Investigated the interpersonal theory of personality by testing five instruments for circumplex structure.
• Created four new psychometric criteria for circumplex structure.
• Tested 10 circumplex criteria for their sensitivity to circumplex structure using Monte Carlo simulation.
• Synthesized the literature on the interpersonal principle of complementarity using meta-analysis.
• Tested the hypothesis that there is a functional correspondence between general intelligence and measures of sensory discrimination.
• Critiqued the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and recommended investigating dimensional alternatives.

  Duke University, Durham, North Carolina (1991-1993)
  

• Used item response theory to determine whether children's anxiety is categorical or dimensional.
• Wrote thesis on probabilistic causality.

SERVICE AS REFEREE

• Addictive Behaviors
  
• CNS Drugs
  
• Drug and Alcohol Dependence
  
• Health Psychology
  
• Psychological Assessment
  
• Psychology of Addictive Behaviors
  

TEACHING INTERESTS

Undergraduate Level

• Introduction to Personality
• Great Ideas in Personality
• Scientific Method and Psychological Theory
• Tests and Measurements
• Abnormal Psychology
• Introductory Psychology

  Graduate Level
  

• Psychometrics
• Advanced Personality
• Psychopathology
• Writers' Task Force

EXPERIENCE AS SOLE COURSE INSTRUCTOR

Introduction to Personality (Summer 1998)
Taught survey of personality theory and research at Northwestern University in which students summarized and evaluated the major approaches. Developed syllabus, lecture notes, assignments, exams, and reading lists, and edited student papers with peer commentaries, all of which can be found in the elaborate instructional materials website.

Special Topics: Great Ideas in Personality (Fall 1997)
Taught advanced undergraduate course at Northwestern University on outstanding personality research programs, with an emphasis on writing and peer commentary. Student papers, peer commentaries, and web projects are found in the instructional materials website.

EXPERIENCE AS SUPERVISOR OR MENTOR

Demoralization as a Predictor of Smoking Treatment Outcome (Fall 2001)
Funded by grants from NIDA and TRDRP (G. Scott Acton, PI), am supervising UC-Berkeley graduate student in item response theory analyses to develop the Demoralization Scale-IRT, cross-validate it against other measures, and correlate it with smoking treatment outcome.

Validity of Personality Taxonomies (Spring 1999)
Supervised Northwestern undergraduate independent study student's convergent and discriminant validity study on measures of the interpersonal circle and other personality taxonomies. Taught research methods and theory, met weekly to discuss progress, edited and graded final paper, and collaborated on presentation to the International Society for the Study of Individual Differences.

Meta-Analysis of Interpersonal Complementarity (Spring 1997)
Supervised Northwestern undergraduate independent study student's quantitative review of the literature on the interpersonal principle of complementarity. Taught research methods and theory, met weekly to discuss progress, and edited and graded final paper.

EXPERIENCE AS TEACHING ASSISTANT

• Experimental Social Psychology--supervised group research projects, graded essay exams
  
• Introductory Psychology--taught discussion sections, generated exam questions, graded exams
  
• Introductory Statistics--tutored individual students
  
• Personality Research--graded essay exams
  

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

• American Psychological Association (APA)
  
• International Society for the Study of Individual Differences (ISSID)
  
• Society for Interpersonal Theory and Research (SITAR)
  
• Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP)
  
• Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT)
  

COMPUTER SKILLS

SAS, SPSS, Systat, ConQuest, D-Stat, MS Word, MS Excel, Pascal, HTML

SERVICE

• Participant, San Francisco Treatment Research Center Writers' Task Force
  
• Mentor, Society for Personality and Social Psychology Undergraduate Minority Mentorship Program
  
• Reviewer, Chicago Regional Undergraduate Psychology Symposium
  
• Grant-Writing Consultant, Humanitarian Relief Foundation, Haiti
  
• Facilitator, Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Seminars