Research Areas of Specialization: Methodology

HDFS Methods Lunch Calendar

Methodology Brown Bag

Research methodology is one area of study in the graduate program in Human Development and Family Studies. Research methodology is a topic that is relevant to every research endeavor in the study of human development and the family. In fact, research in our field is methodologically challenging for many reasons. Studies must be designed with the utmost care in order to narrow down the list of possible explanations for results; the highly complex behaviors that are often of interest are difficult to measure; and sophisticated state-of-the-art statistical procedures often are required. Research related to the improvement of designs and measurement models and the development and extension of statistical models has become an important area of intellectual inquiry in the developmental sciences. The field of human development and family studies needs researchers who not only understand the critical substantive issues driving our search for knowledge, but who also have the expertise in statistical methods and research design that enable us to address these issues fruitfully. Areas of statistical and methodological research such as structural equation modeling, multilevel and growth curve modeling, time series and dynamical systems modeling, latent class and latent transitions analysis, growth mixture modeling, missing data analysis, and observational methodology represent some of the exciting areas of research currently under investigation by faculty in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies.

David Almeida
Daily stress processes; adult development; family factors in mental health; work and family linkages; fatherhood; statistical techniques for measuring change
Bo Cleveland
Interaction of genetic and environmental influences on adolescent and young adult risk-behaviors, including alcohol and tobacco use, aggression, and delinquency; contribution of traits to the selection and modification of social contexts.
Linda Collins
Measurement and analysis of change in human behavior and ability; research methods; design, and statistics; mathematical models of adolescent substance abuse.
Denis Gerstorf
Multivariate approach to study heterogeneity and differential aging; cross-domain interface of cognition, well-being, and health; terminal decline, intraindividual variability; dyadic interdependencies in development; statistical techniques for measuring change.
Melissa Hardy
Work and Retirement; Public Policy; Political Attitudes; Women’s Issues and Aging; Cognitive Components of Saving and Investment Behavior; Older Workers.
Eva Lefkowitz
Observational research (e.g., videotaped interactions), including within family interactions; content and affect coding of videotapes; understanding differences in self-report versus observed data.
Courses Taught:
HDFS 528: Observational Methodologies for Development
Eric Loken
Mixture models; item response theory; latent variable models; BAyesian inference; educational measurement and standardized assessments; web-based educational interventions.
Courses Taught:
HDFS 519: Statistical Models in Human Development (Regression and ANOVA)
HDFS 526: Measurement (Factor analysis, IRT, reliability)
Jennifer Maggs
Adolescent social development and health; transition to adulthood; risk behaviors; prevention science; research methods; alcohol expectancies.
Application of mathematical theories to solve substantive psychological issues.
Peter Molenaar
Mathematical theories solving substantive psychological problems, person-specific data analysis.
Nilam Ram
Changes in the psychological processes of emotion, personality, and cognition, how they develop over the course of the lifespan, and how intraindividual change and variability study designs can contribute to our understanding of human behavior.
Michael Rovine
General problems in the analysis of longitudinal data; Strucural equation modeling (SEM) including multilevel SEM; Simplex and Nonstationary Autoregressive Moving Average (NARMA models); Application of Time Series Models to developmental issues including Time Series SEM; Single subject models; Environmental cognition and wayfinding.
Courses Taught:
HDFS 517: Multilevel Models
HDFS 519: Statistical Models in Human Development (Regression and ANOVA)
HDFS 523: Multivariate Models in Developmental Research.
Doug Teti
Socioemotional development in infancy and early childhood, parenting, and intervention strategies designed to promote early development and parent-child relations.

Martin Sliwinski

Analysis of longitudinal, daily diary and experience sampling data; web-based survey and cognitive assessment; detection of early dementia