Welcome

My research concentrates on studying the etiology of pathological fear and anxiety disorders through experimental methods. Laboratory paradigms of studying fear (e.g. fear-conditioning paradigm, stressful film paradigm) are still unable to fully recreate the experiences of individuals in real life and measure fully their responses. Thus, my research attempts to increase the ecological validity of experimental paradigms for studying the development of anxiety disorders and all aspects of fear expression: subjective experiences, physchophysiological reactivity and behavioral responses. I am further interested in finding individual characteristics and experiences which make certain individuals more vulnerable for developing an anxiety disorder.
I am currently working on my Ph.D. project entitled "Fear relocation and paradoxical fear increase: Individual differences in response systems divergence" under the supervision of Dr. Tom Beckers and Prof. Dr. Merel Kindt.
Before starting myPh.D. project, I have assisted with research in the laboratories of Dr. Muriel Hagenaars, Leiden University, the Netherlands, Dr. Mary Ann Dutton, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., Dr. Michele Carter and Dr. Clara Cheng, both at American University, Washington, D.C.
My clinical work has concentrated on expatriate, immigrant and minority group members suffering from a variety of Axis I disorders. I have specialized in delivering cognitive-behavioral interventions in English, Russian or Bulgarian aiming at alleviating patient's symptoms, promoting a healthier lifestyle and assisting with acculturation processes. So far, I have worked with patients from more than 15 countries in the world.

• Curriculum Vitae

Arnaudova, I., Krypotos, A.-M., Effting, M., Kindt, M., & Beckers, T. (in preparation). Selective conditioning of cue competition: Evidence across measures.

Arnaudova, I., Craske, M., Fanselow, M., Kindt, M., & Beckers, T. (in preparation). Response selection and execution in human threat avoidance: A new evidence-based theoretical framework.

Krypotos, A.-M., Arnaudova, I., Effting, M., Kindt, M., & Beckers, T. (in preparation). Training action tendencies towards conditioned fear cues.

Krypotos, A.-M., Effting, M., Arnaudova, I., Kindt, M., & Beckers, T. (in press). Avoided by association: Acquisition, extinction and renewal of avoidance tendencies towards conditioned fear stimuli. Clinical Psychological Science.

Arnaudova, I., Krypotos, A.-M., Effting, M., Boddez, Y., Kindt, M., & Beckers, T. (2013). Individual differences in discriminatory fear learning: A vulnerability factor for anxiety disorders? Frontiers in Psychology. 4:298. 

• PsyQ Haaglanden; Depressie Ambulant
  Psychologist