College of Arts and Sciences

Department of Psychological Science

Eric Thrailkill

Research Associate Professor

Research and/or Creative Works

My research focuses on basic mechanisms of learning and behavioral regulation that are related to public health issues, such as substance abuse, obesity, and anxiety disorders. Specific areas of interest include habit learning, decision making, and behavior change processes. I use and develop research tools that bridge from preclinical behavioral neuroscience in animals to human laboratory tasks and clinical populations.

Publications

Thrailkill, E. A. & Alcalá, J. A., (In press). Relapse after incentivized choice in humans: A parallel model for studying behavior change. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology.
Thrailkill. E. A., Ameden**, W. P., & Bouton, M. E. (2019). Resurgence in humans: Reducing relapse by increasing generalization between treatment and testing. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition, 45, 338-349.
Thrailkill, E. A., Trask, S., Alcalá*, J., Vidal*, P., & Bouton, M. E. (2018). Stimulus control of actions and habits: A role for reinforcer predictability and attention in the development of habitual behavior. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition, 44, 370-384.
Thrailkill, E. A., & Bouton, M. E. (2016). Extinction and the associative structure of heterogeneous instrumental chains. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 133, 61-68.
Thrailkill, E. A., & Bouton, M. E. (2015). Contextual control of instrumental actions and habits. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition, 41, 69-80.