Current research projects include:

• Preschool Social Development Project.  This project is a short-term longitudinal study of children's peer relations at school.  We have multiple informants and methods of assessment including school-based behavioral observations, teacher-reports, structured interviews with children, research-assistant reports, and  parent-reports.  This is a short-term (two time points) longitudinal study designed to examine the developmental factors associated with forms (i.e., physical and relational) and functions (i.e., proactive and reactive) of aggression in young children. 

 

Past research projects include:

• We recently conducted a federally-funded research project entitled: Relational aggression, victimization, and adjustment during middle childhood (1R03HD059781-01A109, funded by the EUNICE KENNEDY SHRIVER NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT).  
• A cross-cultural study of peer relations in India with Dr. Julie Bowker (PI) at UB
• We conducted a series of collaborative  ERP studies with Dr. Rebecca Houston at the Research Institute of Addiction (Emerging Adulthood)
• UB Early Child Development Project (ECDP). This was a short-term longitudinal study using observational methods, brief developmentally-appropriate interviews of children and teacher-reports of young children (3-5-years-old).  We were interested in further studying how various social behaviors develop and how emotion regulation capacity influences these behaviors in early childhood.  We partnered with five area early childhood centers to conduct this relatively large multi-informant and multi-method study.  
• The UB Continuation of the Early Childhood Play Project.  We contacted families that previously participated in our ECPP.  We asked 1 parent to bring the participating child to our laboratory on the south campus.  Parents completed standard surveys about their child's social behavior and children completed a brief interview and some short laboratory tasks.  The laboratory tasks were designed to assess the child's ability to delay gratification, pretend and deceive others.  The tasks were designed to be fun and engaging. Please see the newsletter summary under the parent section of this website. 
• The UB Early Childhood Play Project  (ECPP; Longitudinal Study in Early Childhood).  Please see the past newsletters under the parent section of this website or several of our publications.
• The UB Early Childhood Friendship Project (School-based Intervention Study), in collaboration with Dr. Greta Massetti (now at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA).  Please see the past newsletter under the parent section of this website or our recent publication from this study.
• The Pre2K Project, a collaborative continuation of the Preschool Pals Project (Early Childhood to Kindergarten), conducted with Dr. Nicki R. Crick, at the University of Minnesota's Institute of Child Development

 

  Past student research projects include:

• Peer Conflict Project (Social Behavior, Normative Beliefs, and Hostile Attribution Biases in Late Adolescence).  Honors Thesis: Christopher A. Bailey
• Parent-report of relational aggression, family factors and parent-child relationship during early childhood.  Honors Thesis: Christa Bishop
• SIBS Project (Early Childhood Sibling relationships using home observation).  Dissertation: Kirstin Grös
• UB Early Childhood Thoughts and Behaviors Project (Dissertation project for Stephanie Godleski)

 

 

 

Updated 7/13/11