I am a life-span developmental psychologist with current research interests in cognitive development and ageing, especially the development of mind wandering and goal-directed thought. My previous research lay in the intersection of psychology and sociology: psychosocial antecedents and consequences of civic and political engagement across the life span, cumulative advantage and disadvantage of different employment trajectories and their consequences for mental health, coping with social change, and dealing with perceived societal expectations for active ageing in old age.
In my research, I have been using a broad range of research designs. For instance, I have conducted secondary analyses of cross-sectional, longitudinal, and comparative datasets such as the Jena Study on Social Change and Human Development, the Finnish Educational Transitions Studies (FinEdu), the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), the British Household Panel Study (BHPS), and the European Social Survey (ESS). To investigate the cognitive mechanisms behind mind wandering and goal-directed thought across the life span, I am currently planning experimental and experience-sampling studies as well as parental surveys.