Research Interests
Adolescent Popularity
- Using advanced statistical techniques, I explore the distinct types of adolescent popularity that exist, and the social, emotional, and problem behavior adjustment associated with each type.
- I am interested in the development of adolescent friendships, including how friends select one another, how stable friendships are, and predictors of friendship instability. Additionally, I investigate influence within adolescent friendships over academic and deviant behaviors.
- I examine how adolescent romantic participation affects family and peer relationships. Specifically, I am interested in the relative influence over thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of different types of relationships (e.g., familial, friendship, romantic relationship), as well as in behaviors and attitudes towards each social source (i.e., family, friends, and romantic partner).
- The adolescent social world is a complex system, so examining its dynamics requires advanced quantitative techniques. I am interested in extending current statistical models to offer a more comprehensive view of adolescence.