Research Projects

Childrearing in Kenya often involves a larger kinship and community network, and how the collaboration across multiple caregivers influences children's relationship representation and social adjustment is not well understood. Working with the Busara Center of Behavioral Economics and Maseno University in Kenya, we are interested in understanding how caregivers from the urban informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya work together to raise their children, and how the childrearing pattern influece the child's adjustment. We are currently planning for qualitative interviews and observations, and will develop a questionnaire measure of local childrearing patterns based on the qualitative data.

We are currently planning a study at the Lehigh Valley which examines the impact of family and community on children's processing of social cues, emotion regulation, and social behaviors. Check back later for more information!

Social withdrawal refers to the removal of oneself from peer interactions. Staying away from peers may hinder the development of social skills and supportive friendships, but it may also create opportunities for self-exploration. The developmental outcome of social withdrawal during adolescence may depend on multiple factors, such as the adolescent's overall behavioral patterns, the internal motivations underlying social withdrawal (e.g., shyness, preference of being alone), the contexts in which withdrawal occurs, and the cultural value system. In this short-term longitudinal study, we collected self-, peer-, and teacher-reported data of social withdrawal, peer relationships, and psychological and school adjustment among a group of adolescents in urban China. Data collection took place in 2016-2017, and data analysis is still ongoing.