David P. Valentiner

Research Interests

My research examines cognitive and emotional factors related to anxiety, anxiety disorders, and change in anxiety during treatment and during the natural recovery following trauma, addressing questions such as: what are the mechanisms of change in effective therapies for anxiety disorders?; what are the implications of these mechanisms for how we understand the psychopathology, including etiology and maintenance?; and how can treatment and prevention be improved based on what we learn about mechanisms of change? I also have interests in brain areas involved in fear reduction and recovery, racism and belief change, and research on pseudoscience and scientific anomalies.

Frequently Taught Classes

PSYC 316: Introduction to Psychopathology
PSYC 654: Practicum in Psychotherapy
PSYC 672: Seminar in Clinical Psychology: Multicultural Diversity, Supervision and Consultation

Select Publications

Renner, K.A., Valentiner, D. P. and Holzman, J.B. (2017). Focus-of-attention behavioral experiment: an examination of a therapeutic procedure to reduce social anxiety. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 46(1), 60-74.
Holzman, J.B., Valentiner, D.P., Hannan, S.M., Wallace, D.G. and Orcutt, H.K. (2017). High dose alcohol consumption predicts less reduction in post-traumatic stress symptoms after a campus mass shooting. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping, 30(6), 609-618.
Valentiner, D.P., Skowronski, J.J., Mounts, N.S. and Holzman, J.B. (2017). Social Anxiety and Relationship Formation during the College Transition: Self-Verification, Self-Image and Victimization. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 31, 136-148.
Despotes, A.M., Valentiner, D.P. and London, M. (2016). Resiliency and posttraumatic growth. Chapter 18 in Wilson, L. (ed.), Wiley Handbook of the Psychology of Mass Shootings. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Knoll, R.W., Valentiner, D.P. and Holzman, J.B. (2016). Development and Initial Test of the Safety Behaviors in Test Anxiety Questionnaire: Superstitious Behavior, Reassurance Seeking, Test Anxiety, and Test Performance. Assessment, 1073191116686685.
McCraw, K.S. and Valentiner, D.P. (2015). The Circumscribed Fear Measure: Development and Initial Validation of a Trans-Stimulus Phobia Measure. Psychological Assessment, 27, 403-414.
Valentiner, D.P., Jencius, S., Jarek, E., Gier-Lonsway, S.L. and McGrath, P.B. (2013). Pre-Treatment Shyness Mindset Predicts Less Reduction of Social Anxiety During Exposure Therapy. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 27, 267-271.