Social Development Lab

My research focuses on children's and adolescents' social development and family studies, particularly in three areas: peer relations and interactions, familial socialization, and cultural-contextual influences on social development, mental health outcomes, and academic performance. 

My research interests in peer relations and interactions include examining peer status and social behaviors, such as aggression and prosocial behavior. My recent research in this area involves investigating the social cognitive processes related to peer status, including social status insecurity, social status goals, and popularity determinants, as well as cultural values and social cognition related to prosocial and aggressive behaviors among children and adolescents.

The second theme of my research is to examine familial influences on children’s and adolescents' social development. My research in this area concerns several aspects of familial influences, including parenting beliefs and behaviors, parent-child relationships, and marital/interparental conflict. Specifically, I am interested in investigating how various socialization goals, parenting beliefs, and cultural values relate to parenting behaviors. I also examine how important familial processes, such as marital/interparental conflict and parent-child interactions, work as a system to influence children's and adolescents’ social development and mental health outcomes. Some of my recent work also involves parental knowledge and parental domain specific socialization, such as socialization of peer status.

Finally, to address the cultural-contextual construction of peer interactions and familial socialization, I examine these topics in multiple ethnic and cultural groups and also take gender and acculturation levels into consideration.

• Undergraduate Courses
• Psy333 Child Psychology
• Psy333 Child Psychology Online
• Psy303 Human Development
• Psy242 Research Methods II
• Psy242 Research Methods II Online
• Study Abroad Course: Child Psychology/Human Development in China
• Psy396 Honors in Psychology
• Psy397 Experiential Learning
• Psy399 Independent Studies 


• Graduate Courses
• Psy419 Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)
• Psy555 Social Development
• Psy592 Directed Research
• Psy597 Master’s Thesis
• Psy599 Dissertation Research

Note: If you are interested in any of these publications, please contact Dr. Yan Li for a copy.

          ^G with graduate student coauthors.

• Camras, L., Sun, K., Fraumeni, B. F. & Li, Y. (2017). Interpretations of parenting by Mainland Chinese and U.S. American children. Parenting: Science and Practice, 17, 262-280. 
• Flynn, A. M., Li, Y., & Sánchez, B. (2017). Law School Stress: Moving from Narratives to Measurement. Washburn Law Journal. 56, 259-287  
• Li, Y., Cheung, R. Y. M., & Cummings, E. M. (2016). Marital conflict and emotional insecurity among Chinese Adolescents: Cultural value moderation. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 26, 316–333. doi: 10.1111/jora.12193
• Budd, K. S., Danko, C., Li, Y., & Henriquez, S. (2015). Assessing childrearing attitudes in parents of preschoolers with diverse ethnic backgrounds. Parenting: Science and Practice, 15,39–54. doi: 10.1080/15295192.2015.992737
• Li, Y. & ^GWright, M. F. (2014). Adolescents’ social status goals: Relationships to social status insecurity, aggression, and prosocial behavior. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 43, 146-160. doi: 10.1007/s10964-013-9939-z  
• ^GWright, M. F., Li, Y., & Shi, J. (2014). Chinese adolescents’ social status goals: Associations with behaviors and attributions for relational aggression. Youth & Society, 46, 564- 586. doi: 10.1177/0044118X12448800
• Liao, Z., Li, Y. & Su, Y. (2014). Emotion understanding and reconciliation in overt and relational conflict scenarios among preschoolers. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 38, 111-117. doi: 10.1177/0165025413512064
• Aase, D.M., Jason, L.A., Ferrari, J.R., Li, Y., & Scott, G. (2014). Comorbid mental health and substance abuse issues among individuals in recovery homes: Prospective environmental mediators. Mental Health and Substance Use, 7, 170-183. doi: 10.1080/17523281.2013.806342
• ^GWright, M. F. & Li, Y. (2013). Normative beliefs about aggression and cyber aggression among young adults: A longitudinal investigation. Aggressive Behavior, 39, 161-170. doi: 10.1002/ab.21470
• ^GWright, M. F. & Li, Y. (2013). The association between cyber victimization and subsequent cyber aggression: The moderating effect of peer rejection. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42, 662-674. doi: 10.1007/s10964-012-9903-3
• Li, Y., Xie, H., & Shi, J. (2012). Chinese and American children’s perceptions of popularity determinants: Cultural differences and behavioral correlates. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 36, 420–429. doi: 10.1177/0165025412446393
• ^GWright, M. F. & Li, Y. (2012).  Kicking the digital dog: A longitudinal investigation of young adults’ victimization and cyber displaced aggression. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 15, 448-454. doi:10.1089/cyber.2012.0061
• Camras, L., Sun, K., Li, Y., & ^GWright, M. F. (2012). Do Chinese and American children's interpretations of parenting moderate links between perceived parenting and child adjustment? Parenting: Science and Practice, 12, 306-327. doi: 10.1080/15295192.2012.709154
• Zhou, H., Li, Y., Zhang, B. & Zeng, M. (2012). The relationship between narcissism and friendship qualities in adolescents: Gender as a moderator. Sex Roles, 67,452-462. doi: 10.1007/s11199-012-0169-8
• Budd, K. S., Behling, S., Li, Y., Parikshak, S., Gershenson, R. A., Feuer, R. & Danko, C. (2012). Measuring attitudes toward acceptable and unacceptable parenting practices. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 21, 247–261. doi: 10.1007/s10826-011-9470-3
• ^GShuster, M., Li, Y., & Shi, J. (2012). Maternal cultural values and parenting practices: Longitudinal associations with Chinese adolescents’ aggression. Journal of Adolescence, 35, 345-355. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2011.08.006
• Makel, M. C., Li, Y., Wai, J., & Putallaz, M. (2011). High ability students’ time spent outside the classroom. Journal of Advanced Academics, 720-749. doi: 10.1177/1932202X11424880
• ^GWright, M. & Li, Y. (2011). The associations between young adults’ face-to-face prosocial behaviors and their online prosocial behaviors. Computers in Human Behavior, 27, 1959–1962. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2011.04.019
• Li, Y., Putallaz, M., & Su, Y. (2011). Interparental conflict styles and parenting behaviors: Associations with overt and relational aggression among Chinese children. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly: Journal of Developmental Psychology, 57, 402-428. doi: 10.1353/mpq.2011.0017
• Li, Y., Costanzo, P. R., & Putallaz, M. (2010). Maternal socialization goals, parenting styles, and social-emotional adjustment among Chinese and European American young adults: Testing a mediation model. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 171, 330-362. doi: 10.1080/00221325.2010.505969
• Li, Y., Wang, M., Wang, C., & Shi, J. (2010). Individualism, collectivism, and Chinese adolescents’ aggression: Intracultural variations. Aggressive Behavior, 36, 187-194. doi: 10.1002/ab.20341
• Li, Y., Alfeld, C., Kennedy, R. P., & Putallaz, M. (2009). Effects of summer academic programs in middle school on high school test scores, coursetaking, and college major. Journal of Advanced Academics, 20, 404–436.
• Xie, H., Li, Y., Boucher, S., Hutchins, B., & Cairns, B. D. (2006). What makes a girl (or a boy) popular (or unpopular)? African-American children’s perceptions and developmental differences. Developmental Psychology, 42, 599–612. doi: 10.1037/0012-1649.42.4.599
• Gazelle, H., Putallaz, M., Li, Y., Grimes, C. L., Kupersmidt, J. B., & Coie, J. D. (2005). Anxious solitude across context: Girls’ interactions with familiar and unfamiliar peers. Child Development, 76, 227–246. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2005.00841.x

 

• Associations between social status insecurity and relational aggression in Chinese adolescents: Moderations of social cognitive processes.