The transition from childhood to adulthood is fraught with changes in emotion, cognition, relationships with parents, peers, and society. Thirty or forty years ago, the sequence of transitions from childhood to adulthood was predictable. today, individuals traverse a variety of pathways as they go from the dependency of childhood to achieving adult milestones and independence. In the U.S., many individuals spend years finishing their education and establishing a foothold in adulthood, in some other countries, the pathway to adulthood ends sooner. Research on adolescence and early adulthood focuses on understanding cultural, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity in paths through this protacted transition period.

Faculty Research

• Aryn Dotterer
  Dr. Dotterer's work in this area examines the development of ethnic/racial identity, school transitions, academic achievement and school engagement, and parent-adolescent relationship quality.
  
• Doran French
• Karen Fingerman
  Dr. Fingerman's research has focused on young adults' prolonged dependency on parents. This work addresses variability in support patterns. Some parental support is intended to foster success in young adulthood (e.g., help getting through college), but other support addresses specific problems (e.g., single parent, loss of job).
  
• Judith Myers-Walls
  Dr. Myers-Walls's work in this area has focused on adolescent sexuality, pregnancy and parenthood. She has studied teen parents and their parents and has created prevention and enrichment materials for use with teens and their families.
  
• Shawn Whiteman
  Dr. Whiteman's research examines the family processes related to youth's family relationships and individual adjustment from adolescence into early adulthood. He is particularly interested in how siblings directly influence each other's attitudes, behaviors, and personal qualities during this period.