Our lab aims to understand how children relate to one another, decide they like (or dislike) one another, and form lasting friendships, as well as what the longer term effects of peer relationships may be on adjustment. We are also interested in why some children have trouble with peers and how to develop better interventions to help these children.

Some of the research focuses on youth with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) because this population provides fertile ground to study peer difficulties, while other research concerns how typical children interact. Our research mainly involves children (ages 6-11), but some studies investigate how adolescents and university students form social bonds, particularly in the digital world such as on social media or through video games.

Interested in participating in our research studies? Learn more under For Families. Think you might want to join the lab for graduate school or as an undergraduate research assistant? Go to Prospective Students. Thanks for visiting and hope to hear from you!