Naomi Samimi-Sadeh
Naomi Samimi-Sadeh
Director of Graduate Education
Office location
University of Delaware, 105 The Green, Room 131, Wolf Hall, Newark, DE 19716
Lab
302-831-6146 / Wolf Hall, Room 405
Education
- Ph.D. – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- B.A. – University of Wisconsin-Madison
Biography
My research focuses on understanding why people engage in risky, impulsive, and self-destructive behavior, with a special emphasis on elucidating how sensitivity and resiliency to life stress contributes to these harmful behaviors. As a clinical psychologist, I am particularly interested in disorders marked by severe self-regulation deficits (e.g., psychopathy, antisocial personality disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders) and related public health problems (e.g., suicidal behavior, violence, substance use, criminal behavior).
I use a multilevel framework in my research that spans biological (neurobiology, genes), psychological (personality traits, emotion-cognition interactions, psychopathology), and environmental (traumatic life events, stress exposure) units of analysis. Consequently, I use a range of methodological approaches, including functional and structural neuroimaging, molecular genetics, laboratory tasks, and clinical surveys in my work. The ultimate goal of my program of research is to use the knowledge gained about the origins of impulsivity and deficits in self-regulation to improve prevention and treatment efforts for individuals at high risk for these clinical outcomes, including psychiatric patients, traumatized individuals, and criminal offenders.
— Naomi Samimi-Sadeh, Associate Professor, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware
Research Projects
Areas: Clinical science, human neuroimaging
Impulse control deficits and poor self-regulation are core features of a diverse array of harmful behaviors (aggression, substance use, risky sexual behavior) and mental disorders (antisocial personality disorder, PTSD, externalizing disorders) that increase risk for premature death and poor health outcomes. We are working on identifying neurobiological mechanisms that support adaptive inhibitory control in healthy populations and how these regulatory processes go awry in clinical samples. The goal of this work is to better understand the neural architecture of impulse control deficits across different forms of psychopathology and to clarify how the neural processes supporting inhibition interact with other cognitive, motivational, and emotional systems.
Researchers: Jeffrey Spielberg, Naomi Samimi-Sadeh
Adaptive functioning depends on the rapid regulation of motivational processes, and disturbances in this regulation are key features of anxiety and depression. The CAD lab is conducting a number of studies aimed at understanding how brain networks supporting top-down inhibitory control interact with those involved in identifying the motivational importance of stimuli. This work is conducted in both healthy and anxious/depressed individuals, allowing us to describe both the typical manner in which these circuits interact and how divergence from the norm may lead to pathology.
Researchers: Jeffrey Spielberg, Naomi Samimi-Sadeh
Resources and Links
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The Psychology of Setting Goals
January 02, 2024 | Written by Amy WolfAbout 90% of people give up on their New Year’s resolutions within the first few weeks of the year. University of Delaware professors explain why it’s so hard to get habits to stick and share advice for reaching goals. -
Be afraid, very afraid
October 29, 2021 | Written by Diane StopyraWith Halloween upon us, UD experts explain why experiencing fear does a body good -
Young scholars honored
January 22, 2021 | Written by Ann ManserEarly career faculty in history, psychology receive Mangone Award
