Dr Haruka Kitamura

Dr Haruka Kitamura

Lecturer, Psychological Sciences

Qualifications

PhD in Behavioural Neuroscience

Overview

Dr Haruka Kitamura is a lecturer in the Discipline of Psychological Science. She completed her PhD at the Queensland University of Technology. Her PhD thesis examined methodological and individual difference factors impacting how fear memories are acquired and maintained using Pavlovian fear conditioning.

Research

Haruka is interested in emotional learning and memory. Her research involves measurement of psychophysiological data (skin conductance responses and heart rate) and individual difference factors including psychophysiology (heart rate variability), mood (depression, anxiety, and stress), emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression), and personality factors (optimism and neuroticism). Haruka is also interested in examining psychological variables which impact the presentation of dark personality traits including psychopathy, machiavellianism, and narcissism.

Publications
Kitamura, H., Johnson, L., Johnston, P., & Strodl, E. (2020). Boundary conditions of post-retrieval extinction: A direct comparison of low and high partial reinforcement. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 174c, 107285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107285

Dawson, D., Strodl, E., & Kitamura, H. (2022). Childhood maltreatment and disordered eating: The mediating role of emotion regulation. Appetite, 172, 105952. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2022.105952

Kitamura, H., Strodl, E., Johnston, P., & Johnson, L. (2022). The influence of dispositional cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression on standard and post-retrieval extinction. Psychophysiology, 59(9), e14048. https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.14048

Vivian, K., Strodl, E., Kitamura, H., & Johnson, L. (2022). Memory reconsolidation therapy for comorbid bulimia nervosa and traumatic memories: A case series study. Clinical Psychologist. https://doi.org/10.1080/13284207.2022.2065913

Teaching and Coordination Responsibilities

Haruka has experience teaching undergraduate psychology units at QUT and ACAP. Haruka is currently coordinating an undergraduate unit in psychology.

Expert Comment Topics
Haruka's research background is in the field of behavioural neuroscience and psychophysiology. She studies fear learning and memory using Pavlovian fear conditioning and post-retrieval extinction.

ORCID ID profile URL

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5743-3294

HDR Research Supervision

Haruka is currently supervising honours students at ACAP.

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