Michele Lease
- Professor
Department of Educational Psychology
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
Academic Affiliations
Contact
Research Summary
My research examines the impact of children’s peer interactions within their school-based social networks on their mental health, particularly the role of (a) children with high social status and their influence on peers, (b) individual differences influencing conformity, including rejection sensitivity and relational aggression experienced in the peer group, and (c) 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.