Interests

  • social networks
  • popularity
  • friendship
  • well-being
  • psychopathology

Education

  •  PhD in Clinical Psychology, 1995
    University of Illinois
  •  M.A. in Clinical Psychology, 1992
    University of Illinois
  •  B.A. in Psychology, 1988
    Indiana University

Concentrations

Contact

 706-542-4110 (office)

Research Summary

My research examines children’s peer interactions within their school-based social networks, including (a) impact of peer interactions on mental health indicators, (b) children with high social status and their influence on peers, (c) role of individual differences in social network interactions, including rejection sensitivity and relational aggression, and (d) the importance of person-group fit on the peer interactions of children experiencing social-emotional and behavioral difficulties. With my research group, I have recently begun to examine the role of new network formation on college students’ well-being and their transition to university life.