Peer Relations Lab Group
Children and adolescents spend a significant amount of time each day in the company of their peers. Together with their peers, children acquire a wide range of skills, attitudes and experiences that influence their cognitive, emotional and social development. Peers are also powerful socialisation agents, contributing well beyond the collective influences of family, school and neighbourhood. In this lab group, the importance of peer relations for child and adolescent development is investigated.
Group members
- Toon Cillessen
- Yvonne van den Berg
- William (Bill) Burk
- Tessa Lansu
- Geert Verheijen
- Ilja Küh
- Desi Beckers
- Hannah Peetz
- Nathalie Hoekstra
- Sanyogita Khare
- Jamie Fehribach
- Loes Pouwels
- Nina Chmielowice-Szymanski
- Mallory Millett
- Jingu Kim
- Sarah Malamut
- Ana Tyborowska
Lab group
Contact info
Prof. dr. Toon Cillessen
toon.cillessen@ru.nl
Address:
Thomas van Aquinostraat 4
6525 GD Nijmegen
Room: 03.372
Research topics
Our team investigates a range of different topics within the field of peer relations. We are using diverse methods to not only examine these topics, but also to intervene on these processes:
- Bullying & victimization
- Classroom climate
- Automatic processes
- Social status (popularity and likeability)
- Social media and online peer interactions
- Internalizing and externalizing behaviour
- Social goals and social cognitions
- Interpersonal proximity in the classroom
- Teacher impact on social relations
- Peer influence
- Interpersonal peer problems and eating behavior
Ongoing projects
We study these processes from childhood to adulthood, following our participants through the years. We have several ongoing projects that are focused on several of our core topics.
- Kandinsky Longitudinal Study
- Nijmegen Longitudinal Study
- Stoeltjesdans
- Project VOS (Veilig Op School)