A major research goal of faculty in the Department of Psychology and Social Behavior is to identify the antecedents, characteristics, developmental course, outcomes, and options for prevention or management of various forms of psychopathology. Current faculty research programs investigate antecedents of aggression and violence; cognitive processes in depression and anxiety; early development of children with autism; emotion regulation and suppression; life-span development of attentional and behavioral disorders; social and cultural influences on psychopathology.

Faculty

Cauffman, Elizabeth E., Ph.D., Temple University
Adolescent development, mental health, psychopathy, juvenile justice, female delinquency, legal and social policy.

Chen, Chuansheng, Ph.D., University of Michigan
The effect of cultural beliefs and practices on children's cognitive and social development; the influence of family environment on motivation and academic achievement; acculturation and Asian-American adolescents' psycho-social development; and methodological issues in cross-cultural research.

Dooley, C. David, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
The relationship between economic stress and behavioral and emotional disorders; methodology in social research.

Goldberg, Wendy A., Ph.D., University of Michigan
Developmental and social policy perspectives on the family context of child development; examination of the effects of parental employment on adults and children's social behavior and achievement; effects of workplace flexibility; parental involvement in schools and children's motivation and classroom behavior; marital quality, parenting, and young children's development, and adults' transition to parenthood. A new collaborative venture: the early development of children, not diagnosed at that time, who later are diagnosed with autism.

Greenberger, Ellen, Ph.D., Harvard University
Culture, community, family and the peer group as contexts for adolescent and young adult development; cross cultural research involving U.S., European, and Asian adolescents. Of special interest are the effects of family and peer relationships on adolescents' psychological well-being and involvement in problem behavior; adolescents' key non-parental figures (e.g., older siblings, grandparents, teachers) as sources of positive adolescent and young adult outcomes; development of inter-ethnic attitudes and stereotypes; creativity.

Jamner, Larry D., Ph.D., State University of New York, Stony Brook
Clinical human psychophysiology, especially focused on individual differences in coping styles and their effects on the relationship between emotional experiences and concomitant cardiovascular, neuroendocrine, and immune-related activity.

Maddi, Salvatore, Ph.D., Harvard University
Stress management, health, and personality, especially personal "hardiness"; naturalistic research designs involving adult participants.

Novaco, Raymond W., Ph.D., Indiana University
Anger and violent behavior, including their therapeutic regulation and community interventions; domestic violence and its consequences for parents and children; psychological approaches to the study of human stress.

Odgers, Candice L., Ph.D., University of Virginia
Developmental psychopathology, longitudinal analysis of growth and change, effects of externalizing disorders on health.

Rook, Karen, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
Effects of family relationships and friendships on psychological and physical health, particularly in later life; the processes of substitution and compensation following the loss of a major close relationship; the role of close relationships in fostering or hindering older adults' self-care practices and health behaviors; the antecedents and consequences of loneliness in young adults and older adults.

Skeem, Jennifer L., Ph.D., University of Utah
Research designed to inform clinical and legal decision-making about individuals with mental illness. Focuses on understanding psychopathic personality disorder, assessing and treating violence risk, and identifying factors that influence the outcomes of offenders who are mandated to accept psychiatric treatment.

Wadhwa, Pathik, Ph.D. University of California, Irvine, M.D. University of Poona
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior
Influence of psychosocial factors on early development and health, and the biological mechanisms (neuroendocrine, immune, vascular) that mediate these associations; the role of stress in premature birth, maternal health, neurodevelopmental disorders, and the long-term risk of chronic degenerative disease.

Whalen, Carol K., Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
Stress and health in children and adolescents, including the development of health-promoting versus health-risking behavior patterns; parent-child health communications; and how young people think, worry, and make decisions about their own health; contextual, dispositional, and behavioral contributions to tobacco use and dependence in adolescents and young adults; psychopathology and pharmacotherapies, with a focus on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) in children, adolescents, and adults.