Current Projects

---

Adolescence is thought to be a sensitive period characterized by extensive biological, social, and psychological changes. While these changes result in unique opportunities (e.g., increased flexibility to adapt to new demands) they also can lead to vulnerabilities. Indeed, many mental health disorders have their onset in adolescence. In this lab, we are interested in understanding what factors relate to poor adjustment during this developmental period. ​

Sensitivity to threat among adolescents

Heightened reactivity to aversive events, referred to as sensitivity to threat, is thought to be an important mechanism associated with anxiety. Research from our team has shown that adolescents, compared to children, have heightened sensitivity to threat, and importantly, heightened sensitivity to threat is related to higher anxiety problems during adolescence. We are interested in better understanding (1) the development of sensitivity to threat, (2) neural mechanisms related to sensitivity to threat, and (3) what factors predict individual differences in sensitivity to threat.

Cognitive and affective factors related to vulnerability

Adolescence is a period of development where the evaluation of rewards and punishments is increasingly becoming salient. Theories of adolescence propose that this phase of development is characterized by enhanced reactivity to emotionally salient cues (e.g., rewards and punishments), relative to a still-developing capacity for cognitive control. We are keenly interested in understanding how cognitive control and emotional processing interact to predict individual differences in well-being across development.

Well-being crisis among youth today ​

There has been tremendous concern expressed by researchers, media, practitioners, and parents that youth today are facing a well-being crisis. We are conducting a series of studies aimed at trying to better understand whether adolescents today are at heightened risk for well-being problems. This program of research aims to identify both risk and protective factors related to well-being problems among adolescents today.

Worry and Wellbeing

We are interested in assessing how worry relates to well-being across development. Using open-ended questions, we seek to better understand what types of worries adolescents are most concerned about. We are particularly interested in identifying subgroups of adolescent worriers to better understand if certain patterns of worry differentially relate to well-being.