My research interests lie primarily in behavioral and genetic factors that may predispose one to drug addiction. For example, in humans it has been shown that higher levels of impulsivity and sensation seeking correlate with higher incidences of substance abuse, so one of my goals is to model these phenomena in animals. My current experiment in this area is looking at the relationship between compulsivity (a trait that may be related to impulsivity or reactivity to novelty) and the affective properties of morphine. In addition to this, I look at genetic factors that may influence susceptibility to drug addiction. One hypothesis about drug addiction is that those afflicted by it have inherent deficiencies in various brain systems; these deficiencies may have been present before drug use began and further may have been the causal factor in the establishment of drug use. There are animal models for these various states, and in my current experiment in this area I am using them to look at genetic differences in the aversive qualities of precipitated morphine withdrawal.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Poster Presentations
1. Barber, T., & Stephens, M. (2003, May). A comparison of activity levels in Wistar, Spontaneously Hypertensive, and Wistar-Kyoto rats. Eastern Psychological Association conference, Baltimore, MD.
2. Stephens, M., & Meloni, A. (2003, January). Did you see the pick of the week? Improving cashier performance at a grocery store. Florida Association for Behavior Analysis' Organizational Behavior Management Conference, Clearwater, FL.
3. DiClemente, D., & Stephens, M. (2003, January). Improving customer service at a grocery store. Florida Association for Behavior Analysis' Organizational Behavior Management Conference, Clearwater, FL.