Some of the research being conducted at the CRL focuses on how children and parents talk about emotions; how the media influences adolescents’ ideas about gender, sexuality, identity, and achievement; and adolescents’ definitions of violence as it relates to dating relationships. The goal of the CRL is to advance scientific understanding of child and adolescent development and to provide parents and teachers with useful information. Its core faculty currently consists of Gregory Braswell, Gary Creasey, Alycia Hund, Patricia Jarvis, Marla Reese-Weber, Rocio Rivadeneyra, Renee Tobin, and Corinne Zimmerman.

The research conducted by the CRL is based on voluntary parent/child participation in psychological studies. Usually, participation involves children and parents visiting one of the labs. During an appointment, children often play games with one of the researchers, watch short, videotaped vignettes, and/or answer questions about their thoughts and feelings. Dr. Alycia Hund serves as the coordinator of the CRL Child Participant database. “On-campus research projects take place within individual faculty members’ labs, as well as in research space in the Psychological Serve Center and Rachel Cooper Hall,” said Hund. “We also carry out projects in area schools and at the Children’s Discovery Museum.”

If you would like to learn more about the research conducted at the CRL or about participating in child and adolescent development studies at the Children’s Research Lab, please visit its website at http://www.psychology.ilstu.edu/crl/ or call 309.438.2377. The site includes a link where families can provide contact information to receive additional information about developmental research in psychology.