Dr Angela Attwood

Summary

Research interests

My research interests are in the effects of social drugs and drug-related stimuli, and the psychological and biological factors that underlie addiction and continued drug use.  More specifically, my recent research has included the effects of acute alcohol consumption on various aspects of social cognition, including ratings of attractiveness and the perception of emotion in facial cues. We have ongoing work examining cognitive bias to drug-related cues and the effects of attentional retraining procedures on biases and cue reactivity, and I am currently conducting a series of studies investigating the relationship between smoking and anxiety, using a carbon dioxide challenge in smokers. In addition, I have ongoing work examining pharmacological augmentation of cue exposure techniques in smokers.

Consulting

• Transport Research Laboratory

Funding

• Munafò, M.R. (P.I.), Attwood, A.S., McClernon F.J. Effects of varenicline and cognitive bias modification on neural response to smoking related cues. Pfizer Investigator Initiated Research (2010-2012).
• Attwood, A.S. (P.I.), Munafò, M.R., Williams, T. A placebo-controlled study of the effectiveness of D-cycloserine in reducing cue reactivity during cue-exposure therapy in daily cigarette smokers. Global Research Awards for Nicotine Dependence (2010-2011), Project Grant $64,646 (non-fEC).
• Attwood A. S., Scott-Samuel N., Munafò M. R. (2010) Effect of glass shape on drinking rate and drinking topography in social alcohol drinkers. Alcohol Education and Research Council £3,670.
• Attwood A. S., Rogers P. J., Munafò M. R. (2009) Combined effects of acute alcohol and caffeine on cognitive performance and inhibitory control. Funded by UoB, Experimental Psychology small grants £1,180.

Biography

I graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2002 with a BSc in Psychology.  I went on to complete a Ph.D. at Birmingham that examined the effects of conditioning to psychostimulant drugs.

Teaching

• Research Methods L1, MSc
• Individual Differences L2
• Psychobiology L1, L2
• Neuroimaging and Psychobiology MSc

Expertise

My research interests are in the effects of social drugs and drug-related stimuli, and the psychological and biological factors that underlie addiction, craving and continued drug use. My recent research has included the effects of acute alcohol consumption on various aspects of social cognition, including ratings of attractiveness and the perception of emotion in facial cues. We have ongoing work examining cognitive bias to drug-related cues and the effects of attentional retraining procedures on biases and cue reactivity, and I am currently conducting a series of studies investigation the relationship between smoking and anxiety, using a carbon dioxide challenge in smokers. I am also interested in conditioned drug effects and sex differences in smoking behaviour and relapse.

Memberships

Organisations

School of Experimental Psychology

Experimental Psychology staff

• Experimental Psychology academic staff
• Experimental Psychology research staff

Research themes

• Brain, Behaviour, and Health

Research groups

• Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group

Recent publications

• Attwood, AS, Rogers, PJ, Ataya, AF, Adams, S & Munafò, MR 2012, ‘Effects of caffeine on alcohol-related changes in behavioural control and perceived intoxication in light caffeine consumers’. Psychopharmacology, vol 221., pp. 551-60
• Attwood, AS, Scott-Samuel, NE, Stothart, G & Munafo, MR 2012, ‘Glass shape influences consumption rate for alcoholic beverages’. PLoS ONE, vol 7., pp. -
• Adams, S, Ataya, AF, Attwood, AS & Munafò, MR 2012, ‘Effects of alcohol on disinhibition towards alcohol-related cues’. Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
• Adams, S, Ataya, A, Attwood, A & Munafo, M 2012, ‘Effects of acute alcohol consumption on alcohol-related cognitive biases in light and heavy drinkers are task-dependent’. Journal of Psychopharmacology, vol 26., pp. 245 - 253
• Ataya, AF, Adams, S, Mullings, E, Cooper, RM, Attwood, AS & Munafo, MR 2012, ‘Methodological considerations in cognitive bias research: The next steps’. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, vol 124., pp. 191-192
• Lee, H, Attwood, A, Helen, B & Munafo, M 2012, ‘Acute alcohol impairs human goal-directed action’. Biological Psychology.
• Garner, M, Attwood, A, Baldwin, DS & Munafo, MR 2012, ‘Inhalation of 7.5% carbon dioxide increases alerting and orienting attention network function’. Psychopharmacology, vol 223., pp. 67-73
• Cooper, R, Howard, CJ, Attwood, AS, Stirland, R, Rostant, V, Renton, L, Goodwin, C & Munafò, MR 2012, ‘Acutely induced anxiety increases negative interpretations of events in a closed-circuit television monitoring task’. Cognition & emotion.
• Attwood, AS, Penton-Voak, IS, Goodwin, C & Munafo, MR 2012, ‘Effects of acute nicotine and alcohol on the rating of attractiveness in social smokers and alcohol drinkers’. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, vol 125., pp. 43-48
• Penton-Voak, I, Cooper, R, Roberts, R, Attwood, A & Munafo, M 2012, ‘Effects of acute alcohol consumption on the perception of eye gaze direction’. Journal of Psychopharmacology, vol 26., pp. 254 - 261

View complete publications list in the University of Bristol publications system