Michael Potegal, Ph.D., L.P.

Associate Professor
Mayo Mail Code 486
420 Delaware St. SE
Minneapolis, MN  55455
Phone: (612) 625-6964 or 625-7466
Fax: (612) 624-7681
poteg001@umn.edu

Michael Potegal, Ph.D., L.P. is an Associate Professor in the Division of Pediatric Clinical Neuroscience within the Dept. of Pediatrics. He also has an appointment in Neurology. In the earlier part of his research career in behavioral neuroscience, he worked on basal ganglia and vestibular mechanisms of spatial orientation. Subsequently, he studied brain mechanisms of aggression in order to characterize the internal motivational state(s) that control external behavior. After re-orienting his career in a more clinical direction, he joined the faculty of the Pediatric Neuropsychology Clinic in 2000, where he renewed his study of children's temper tantrums. Tantrums are a common feature of child development which have implications for both mental health and understanding of basic emotions. The aim of his current work is development of a general theory of tantrums encompassing their neural bases, ontogeny and development, dynamics, physiology, and relationships to child temperament and parental intervention.

EDUCATION

City College of New York, NY
BS in Physics 1963

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge MA
Ph.D in Physiological Psychology 1969

Columbia Physicians & Surgeons/Univ. of Amsterdam
Postdoctoral Fellow 1969-1970: Neurophysiology

University of Wisconsin, Madison WI
Postdoctoral Fellow 1993-1997: Clinical Psychology

University of Minnesota Hospital, Minneapolis MN
Intern/Postdoctoral Fellow 1997-2000: Pediatric Neuropsychology

LICENSURE

LICENSED PSYCHOLOGIST IN MINNESOTA 2001

FUNDED RESEARCH

Quantifying Children’s Emotions with Emotion Intensity-Linkage Function Model
NICHHD R01-HD055343
Psychopathology and Interictal Discharges in Children with Epilepsy
U of M Graduate Faculties Grant-in-Aid
Characterizing the Neurobehavioral Phenotype(s) in MPS III.
Lysosomal Disease Network NINDS (U54 Rare Disease Center)
Characterizing the Neurobehavioral Phenotypes in MPS III--Type A.
Shire HGT

SAMPLE RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Potegal, M., and Davidson, R.J. Young children's post tantrum affiliation with their parents. Aggressive Behavior (special issue on Appeasement and Reconciliation) 1997, 23, 329-342

Potegal, M. Toddler tantrums: Flushing and other visible autonomic activity in an anger-crying complex. In: R. Barr et al (Eds) Crying as a Sign, a Symptom, and a Signal: Clinical, Emotional, and Developmental Aspects of Infant and Toddler Crying. Mac Keith Press, Surrey UK 2000 pp 121-136

Potegal, M. Post tantrum affiliation with parents: The ontogeny of reconciliation. In: F. Aureli and F de Waal (Eds) Natural Conflict Resolution. University of California Press, Berkely 2000 pp 253-255

Potegal, M., and Davidson, R.J (2003) Temper tantrums in young children:1) Behavioral Composition. J. Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 24, 1-8

Potegal, M. Kosorok, M. R. and Davidson R.J (2003) Temper tantrums in young children: II) Tantrum duration and temporal organization. J. Developmental &
Behavioral Pediatrics, 24, 9-15

Potegal, M., Robison, S., Anderson, F., Jordan, C. & Shapiro, E. (2007) Sequence and priming in 15 month olds' reactions to brief arm restraint: Evidence for a hierarchy of anger responses. Aggressive Behavior, 33, 1-11

Potegal, M., Carlson, G., Margulies, D. Gutkovitch, Z & Wall, M. (2009) Rages or temper tantrums? The behavioral organization, temporal characteristics, and clinical significance of angry-agitated outbursts in child psychiatry inpatients. Child Psychiatry and Human Development 40: 621-636

Qiu, P , Yang, R. & Potegal, M. (2009) Statistical Modeling of the Time Course of Tantrum Anger. Annals of Applied Statistics 3: 1013-1034

Potegal, M., Stemmler, G., & Spielberger, C. (Eds) International Handbook of Anger Springer, N.Y. 2010