Benjamin Ladd
Associate Professor
Ph.D. University of New Mexico, 2013
Contact Information
Email: benjamin.ladd@wsu.edu
Office: VCLS 208P
Phone: (360) 546-9723
Classes Taught
- Psychology 110: Introduction to Addiction Studies
- Psychology 328: Self Control
- Psychology 311: Statistics in Psychology
- Psychology 390: Alcohol Use and Abuse
Research Interests
- Alcohol and Drug Abuse and Prevention
- Mechanisms of Behavior Change
- Risk and Protective Factors Associated with Cannabis Use
My various research interests focus on improving prevention and early intervention techniques for promoting and motivating health behavior change. Specifically, I am interested in process research with the goal of better understanding and identifying effective elements of therapeutic interventions, particularly Motivational Interviewing, in order to reduce the impact of substance abuse and problems. Additionally, I am interested in understanding the risks and/or benefits of cannabis use across various populations. This includes refining the measurement of cannabis consumption and problems and investigating the role of cannabis in specific populations (e.g., chronic pain).
Dr. Ladd will be considering graduate student applications for Fall 2023 admission to the Experimental Psychology PhD Program.
Recent Publications:
Garrison, E., Gilligan, C., Ladd, B.O., & Anderson, K.G. (2021). Social anxiety, cannabis use motives, and social context’s impact on willingness to use cannabis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18, 4882.
Ladd, B.O., Murphy, J.G. & Borsari, B. (2020). Integration of motivational interviewing and behavioral economic theories to enhance brief alcohol interventions: Rationale and preliminary examination of client language. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology. Advance online publication. DOI: 10.1037/pha0000363.
Magnan, R.E. & Ladd, B.O. (2019). “It’s all good”: Perceived benefits but not perceived risks or worries among adult marijuana users. Cannabis, 2, 112-119. DOI: 10.26828/cannabis.2019.02.001
Fales, J.L., Ladd, B.O., & Magnan, R.E. (2019). Pain-relief as a motivation for cannabis use among young adult recreational users with and without chronic pain. Journal of Pain, 20, 908-916. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2019.02.001.
Ladd, B.O., Garcia, T.A., & Anderson, K.G. (2018). Towards an understanding of self-directed language as a mechanism of behavior change: A novel strategy for eliciting change talk under laboratory conditions. Addictive Behavior Reports, 7, 1-7. DOI: 10.1016/j.abrep.2017.11.002.
