The Social Development Lab seeks to understand socioemotional development during childhood and adolescence, particularly within the context of peer relationships. Much of this research focuses on issues of aggression, peer victimization, popularity, and bullying. However, student interests have allowed for the inclusion of diverse topics including prosocial behavior, gender identity, media use, and adult-child relationships (e.g., teachers, parents). There is also a focus on developmental psychopathology and school adjustment. The primary focus is on longitudinal models that allow us to trace development across months or years, utilizing multi-reporter questionnaire assessments. However, data sets are utilized that include eye tracking, psychobiological markers, and observational data. Increasingly, the lab is focusing on the intersection of race and peer relationships (e.g., the impact of peer victimization as a function of minority status in the classroom; how defending shapes teacher perceptions differentially as a function of students’ gender and race/ethnicity). Understanding how to utilize the information obtained through our scholarship to impact real-world programming, policy, and community education is integral to the work we do. Therefore, opportunities are encouraged for students to engage in applied research and community outreach.

The members of the Social Development Lab have all been affected by issues of race, sex, gender, discrimination, class, and bias, whether those experiences reflect challenges or privileges. Although we cannot fully understand each other's unique histories, we strive to learn from each other and build upon the strengths that come from having a diverse lab. As the principal investigator of the lab, Dr. Troop-Gordon’s goal is to foster a learning community in which all students feel safe and respected. When she makes a mistake, she appreciates honest feedback and opportunities for self-betterment and relationship repair. She asks the same of her students in their interactions with her and with their peers.

The lives of the children and youth we study are similarly affected by, and contribute to, bias, racism, and other forms of discrimination within their peer groups, schools, and communities. The lab continually strives to address these issues in our scholarship. Students are encouraged to construe research projects that address racism and bias, as well as the strengths fostered within communities. Students’ education should foster an understanding of how race, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, and ethnicity shape development, and this learning should come through classwork, speakers, conference activities, professional development opportunities, extracurricular involvement, and scholarship in the lab.

Students who work in the Social Development Lab often have varied educational and occupational objectives. Students are encouraged to continue to their vocational identity development throughout their time in the lab. However, there are some base assumptions regarding incoming students.

Doctoral students: Students admitted into the doctorate program are presumed to be working toward a career as an academic (i.e., professor) at a research-oriented university. Students who have or develop a different career goal should feel free to talk openly with Dr. Troop-Gordon about alternative career paths and how their education should best be modified (e.g., assistantships offered, research expectations, classes taken) to work towards those goals.

MFT masters students: Students working with Dr. Troop-Gordon on a master’s thesis through Marriage and Family Therapy program are assumed to be working toward a career as a therapist. Students wishing to continue their studies and complete a doctorate in the lab should discuss this with Dr. Troop-Gordon to determine the best course of action for a thesis project.

Undergraduate students: Most undergraduate students who work in the Social Development Lab are working toward going to graduate school. Students from the Social Development Lab have gone onto Law School, Medical School, master’s programs in social work and school psychology, and doctoral programs in communications and psychology. The responsibilities and opportunities provided in the lab are often tailored around students’ professional goals. Students who start off in the lab early in their undergraduate career often have the most fulfilling experiences. Students have attended national conferences and published papers. Others prefer to work in the lab without the pressure of engaging in more difficult data analyses or writing.

The goal for students is to develop the skills necessary for their career objectives. The lab is best suited for students who wish to foster competence in advanced statistical analyses, writing skills, and the application of theory to issues of human development. Doctoral students are expected to be involved in at least two research projects at any one time. Students should be the lead on one project and assist on a second. When serving as the lead research, the student should expect to develop the research question, conduct the analyses, and write first drafts of all sections of the paper. As the lead researcher, the student will have first authorship on any manuscript unless the student forgoes the role (e.g., choses not to work on any revisions). When in an assisting role, the student will help with some analyses and literature review and aid in the first draft of some manuscript sections. Students in an assisting role will receive authorship commensurate with their contribution to the manuscript and in relation to the contributions made by any other co-authors.

Dr. Troop-Gordon adheres to a scaffolding approach to mentoring. New graduate students receive frequent one-on-one meetings, often once or twice a week, working beside Dr. Troop-Gordon. Meetings involve learning statistical techniques, going over findings, and writing manuscripts together. This process is similar to that provided to masters-only students and advanced undergraduate assistants wishing to help with manuscripts. As doctoral students progress in the program, they are expected to be more independent in their work, receiving feedback through email, rather than in-person meetings, learning advanced analyses through coursework, and seeking varied resources for career development. At the same time, Dr. Troop-Gordon will foster opportunities for grant writing, networking at conferences, and mentored reviewing of manuscripts submitted for publication.

A good mentor-student fit is critical for a positive, rewarding, and productive experience in school. Not all students and mentors, even when wonderful people, are a good match. Students who thrive in the Social Development Lab are:

1. self-motivated. Pushing students to complete a thesis/qualifying exam/dissertation on time is not one of Dr. Troop-Gordon’s strengths. Students know that funding is determined by adequate progress and is unlikely after five or six years in the program (doctorate program) or two-and-a-half years (master’s program). Students are expected to keep themselves on pace for hitting milestones within the expected timeframes.


2. interested in peer processes. Students are expected to be inherently interested in youth development, peer experiences, psychopathology, and human development. Students will be doing extensive reading on these topics in and outside of class. Students who wish to study topics tangential to the work being conducted in the lab often struggle to complete projects and are expected to work much more independently than students whose work is more directly related to the research being conducted in the lab.


3. excited to learn and use advanced statistical techniques. Students who do well in the Social Development Lab enjoy math and feel confident in their math skills. They embrace the opportunities and challenges that come with learning new statistical methods to answer questions about human development.


4. independent learners. Although mentoring is key to success in the Social Development Lab, students also seek out information and problem solve on their own. At the same time, students feel comfortable asking Dr. Troop-Gordon and other students for clarification and help when needed.


5. engaged in learning outside the lab and classroom. Auburn University provides a wealth of opportunities for scholarly and professional growth including speakers, graduate student organizations, and local conferences. Students who do well professionally take advantage of these opportunities.


6. passionate about their work. Students work 20 hours / week on their research or teaching assistantship and spend approximately 15 hours / week on classwork. They also attend lab meetings and other department events. At the same time, they make progress on their thesis/qualifying exam/dissertation and other research projects. Therefore, it is likely unrealistic to expect to work only 40 hours / week. However,


7. able to balance personal needs with work demands. Working over 40 hours / week many weeks does not necessitate only working. Students should be able to also integrate physical activity and adequate sleep into each day, as well as personal time for family, friends, and other interests.


8. willing to take advantage of the faculty expertise in the HDFS department. Students often work with other faculty and seek other faculty’s advice when conducting their research. Learning to a member of a broad academic community is considered healthy and important in the Social Development Lab.


9. receptive to feedback and view skill development as a lifelong process. The Social Development Lab is a place to learn, foster new skills, and continually improve. Receiving feedback is vital to this process. Students need to be able to receive feedback graciously and make all efforts to utilize that feedback to improve writing, ideas, and work in the lab..

Students should have a clear understanding of their mentor’s strengths and weaknesses. In the Social Development Lab, you can expect, Dr. Troop-Gordon to:

1. provide timely feedback and communication. Emails are typically replied to within 24 hours. Students should send a reminder after 48 hours in case an email was forgotten or lost in the mix. This happens rarely. Feedback on drafts of papers typically occurs within 1-to-4 days. Dr. Troop-Gordon will notify students if there are anticipated delays due to illness, travel, or other time constraints.


2. give financial support to conferences if a student is co-authoring a poster or talk. The amount of support will depend on available funds and will supplement financial assistance provided by the department or other sources.


3. rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. Dr. Troop-Gordon has never written a sentence she did not rewrite 5-10 times or more. This is an important part of the writing process that students (hopefully) learn from.


4. help students network. Dr. Troop-Gordon enjoys introducing her students to faculty at conferences and providing opportunities for students to meet their peers from other labs across the country and world.


5. have high expectations. Student projects are expected to be publishable in top journals. Dr. Troop-Gordon pushes students in their conceptualization, methodology, analyses, and writing.


6. draw upon lengthy experience to guide students. Through her work in professional organizations and as an associate editor of multiple journals, Dr. Troop-Gordon provides professional training outside of the research process (e.g., how to obtain grants, write reviews, navigate to job market).


7. be easily distracted and a bit absent-minded. Dr. Troop-Gordon enjoys talking with her students about current events, her children, her dog, the weather, sports, and a variety of topics. She also is chronically late to meetings. Work hard, play hard is a motto that she brings to meetings with students.