Research

Our major research interest is in adolescent development with a focus on two main questions:
(a) What predicts the individual differences found among adolescents with regard to risk taking, academic underachievement, and media use (e.g., video game play), particularly in terms of different developmental trajectories, and how are these trajectories related to psychosocial adjustment?
(b) Is adolescence a sensitive period for development, resulting in unique vulnerabilities and opportunities for both negative (e.g., risk taking, depression) as well as positive behaviors (e.g., engagement in structured activities; spirituality)?

In order to answer some of these questions, we have conducted an longitudinal-sequential survey study of 3993 adolescents, from grade 9 to grade 12. The survey assesses adolescent risk taking (e.g.,substance use, aggression, delinquency), intrapersonal adjustment (e.g., depression, social anxiety, stress, life satisfaction), involvement in structured and unstructured activities, Internet/videogame use, interpersonal relationships with parents and friends, school culture, neighbourhood quality, temperament, spirituality/religiosity, academic achievement, parental monitoring, physical activity, coping, etc. The survey is unique in its comprehensive assessment of youth lifestyle choices over time and is a critical extension to the extant literature on adolescent risk taking and positive youth development. We currently are collecting similar longitudinal data with undergraduates, and have added questions about non-suicidal self-injury, sleep disruption, and suicidal ideation with this population.

We also develop experiments where we explicitly test some of the hypotheses generated from our survey research. For example, we currently are conducting experiments on the relation between violent video game play and aggression. We also are using physiological assessments (e.g., heart rate, blood pressure) to examine the role of emotion in influencing decisions to become involved in social issues, and whether that differs between adolescents and adults.


Some current projects include:
(a) the bidirectional association between depression and externalizing behaviors across the high school years;
(b) the relation between frequency of violent video game play and aggression over time;
(c) experimental studies examining the mechanisms involved in the common finding reported in the literature that violent video game use and aggression are linked;
(d) different pathways of academic achievement across adolescence and how they are related to internalizing and externalizing behaviors;
(e) predictors of adolescent non-involvement in multiple risk behaviors across time;
(f) how NSSI, sleep disruption, and suicide ideation in an undergraduate population are related to ways of coping, depression, academic stressors (assignments, tests), academic achievement, as well as other risk taking behaviors;
(g) whether spirituality and/or religiosity are related to positive adolescent adjustment and whether adolescence is a sensitive period for spiritual development;
(h) A longitudinal examination of the bidirectional associations among parenting behaviors, adolescent disclosure and problem behavior.

We employ a variety of research methods in our lab, from survey data, interviews, to experiments. Our lab has an eyetracker, physiological equipment, and access to a large longitudinal survey database conducted with adolescents that explores issues related to resilience and youth lifestyle choices.



Our lab facilities are located in the Lifespan Development Research Centre at Brock where we have extensive computer facilities, testing rooms, as well as access to observation rooms, interview rooms, a conference room, and lounge facilities.