Additional Research Interests: Neuroimaging, adolescence

My research aims to better understand the development of risk and resilience in children and families, particularly the development of child psychopathology and antisocial behaviors (e.g., aggression, violence, rule breaking). Much of this work focuses on families living in poverty or with fewer resources in order to understand how children succeed or struggle in the face of adversity.

Specific areas of research include:

- The effects of harsh parenting and dangerous neighborhoods on youth and families

- Understanding how experiences in the toddler and preschool years increase risk for antisocial behavior in adolescence and early adulthood

- Understanding how nature and nurture interact over time. We have examined how specific variation in DNA interacts with experiences (e.g., parenting) to increase risk for negative outcomes and have used Twin and Adoption designs to help isolate specific heritable and environmental factors related to risk and resilience

- The neural correlates of psychopathology, antisocial behavior, and psychopathy

- How how experiences shape brain development across development

- How callous-unemotional behaviors/traits develop in preschool children