Kevin T. Larkin, Ph.D.
	Professor of Psychology Graduate Training: University of Pittsburgh
	2220 Life Sciences Bldg 53 Campus Drive PO Box 6040 Morgantown, WV 26506	Email: klarkin@mail.wvu.edu Phone: 304-293-2001 Ext 31668 Fax: 304-293-6606

Research Interests:

During the past 24 years at WVU, Dr. Larkin's research in cardiovascular psychophysiology has involved three inter-related areas. In the first area, Dr. Larkin has developed a comprehensive laboratory-based assessment protocol, known as the Social Confrontation Procedure, in which cardiovascular, cognitive, and behavioral responses to interpersonal laboratory stressors are measured concomitantly. Using standardized ecologically-valid scenes, this procedure has been employed to address empirical questions pertaining to familial behavioral response patterns in hypertensive families, differential behavioral and cardiovascular responses to anger expression and anger inhibition, and sex and cultural differences in the expression of anger.

In a second area of empirical work, a series of studies has concentrated upon hemodynamic mechanisms associated with interventions for reducing cardiovascular reactions to behavioral challenges. Through this work, he has been able to demonstrate that training to lower heart rate reactions to mental stress can be achieved without increasing peripheral vascular responses to stress. Most recently, his laboratory team is examining changes in heart rate variability (HRV) that occurs through HRV biofeedback.

A third area of Dr. Larkin's research involves the application of laboratory-based models into clinical settings. In this regard, his work has examined whether behavioral interventions for essential hypertension (e.g., relaxation) influence cardiovascular and behavioral responses to standardized stress presentations. The laboratory group is presently conducting a small clinical trial among persons holding grudges against others who have betrayed or mistreated them. Indices of cortical and autonomic nervous system activation are measured both pre- and post-training in an effort to determine whether a forgiveness-based intervention exerts positive physiological effects upon participant’s health status and physiological functioning.

Selected Publications:

1. Wheat, A. L., & Larkin, K. T. (2010). Biofeedback of heart rate variability and related physiology: A critical review. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback.
2. Whited, M. C., Wheat, A., L., & Larkin, K. T. (2010). The Influence of Forgiveness and Apology on Cardiovascular Reactivity and Recovery in Response to Mental Stress. Journal of Behavioral Medicine.
3. Penwell, L., & Larkin, K. T. (2010). Social support and risk for cardiovascular disease and cancer: A qualitative review examining the role of inflammatory processes. Health Psychology Review, 4, 42-55.
4. Larkin, K. T. (2009). Variations of doctoral training programs in clinical health psychology: Lessons learned at the box office. Training & Education in Professional Psychology, 3, 202-211.
5. Whited, M. C., & Larkin, K. T. (2009). Sex differences in cardiovascular reactivity: Influence of the gender role relevance of social tasks. Journal of Psychophysiology, 23, 77-84.
6. Hernandez, D. H., Larkin, K. T., & Whited, M. C. (2009). Cardiovascular response to interpersonal provocation and mental arithmetic among high and low hostile young adult males. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 34, 27-35.
7. Larkin, K. T., Schauss, S. L., Elnicki, D. M., & Goodie, J. L. (2007). Detecting white coat and reverse white coat effects in clinic setting using measures of blood pressure habituation in the clinic and patient self-monitoring of blood pressure. Journal of Human Hypertension, 21, 516-524.
8. Goodie, J. L., & Larkin, K. T. (2006). Transfer of Heart Rate Feedback Training to Reduce Heart Rate Response to Laboratory Tasks. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 31, 227-242.
9. Larkin, K. T. (2005). Stress and hypertension: Examining the relation between psychological stress and high blood pressure. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
10. Suchday, S., & Larkin, K. T. (2004). Psychophysiological responses to anger provocation among Asian Indian and Caucasian males. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 11, 71-80.
11. Larkin, K. T., & Zayfert, C. (2004). Anger expression and essential hypertension: Behavioral response to confrontation. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 56, 113-118.
12. Frazer, N. L., Larkin, K. T., & Goodie, J. L. (2002). Do behavioral responses mediate or moderate the relation between cardiovascular reactivity to stress and parental history of hypertension? Health Psychology, 21, 244-253.
13. Larkin, K. T., Semenchuk, E. M., Frazer, N. L., Suchday, S., & Taylor, R. L. (1998). Cardiovascular and behavioral response to social confrontation: Measuring real-life stress in the laboratory. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 20, 294-301.

Lab Personnel: Carol Goulet, BA, Graduate Assistant Eric Grady, MS Graduate Assistant Shane Melanko, BA Graduate Assistant Lauren Penwell, BA, Graduate Assistant Paula Prentice, MS, Graduate Assistant Amanda Wheat, MS, Graduate Assistant
	Front Row, L-R: Lauren Penwell, Shane Melanko Back Row, L-R: Dr. Kevin Larkin, Carol Goulet and Paula Prentice. Not pictured: Amanda Wheat and Eric Grady