Gabriel J. Merrin
Assistant Professor
Syracuse University - Department of Human Development and Family Science
Biography
Dr. Gabriel “Joey” Merrin is an assistant professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science (HDFS) at Syracuse University. Trained as a developmental psychologist and applied methodologist, Dr. Merrin uses novel methodologies, advanced statistical modeling, and reproducible workflows to clarify the developmental processes through which adolescent’s experiences with their families, peers, teachers, and communities influence (mitigate or exacerbate) the development of problem behaviors (e.g., aggression, delinquency, substance use) and experiences with identity-based harassment and victimization throughout adolescence and in the transition to young adulthood. His work is particularly interested in examining the reciprocal and interacting associations among adolescents and various social domains as well as individual differences underlying the emergence of problem behaviors within a school context. He has a strong focus on translating and mobilizing knowledge with the goal of informing intervention and prevention efforts to improve the school experience for young people by using applied research designs, leveraging practical implications, and intentional school and community outreach. Dr. Merrin has extensive experience conducting school based research and has worked with students, teachers, and parents for over ten years.
We (The MAP Lab) and colleagues at Boston University have recently launched a three year NIJ funded study that uses a nationally representative sample to examine the effects of bias-based harassment among adolescents to determine risk and protective factors across multiple social contexts. Check out the project website - Peer Experiences Project
Research Focus
The development of aggression and problem behavior, both as the perpetrator (e.g., aggression, delinquency, substance use) and the recipient (e.g., identity-based harassment, victimization), has a critical impact on long-term individual development across the lifespan. Individuals who experience identity-based harassment and multiple forms of victimization during adolescence show increased rates of social, psychological, and physical problems both as an adolescent and adult. Further, early onset of aggression, substance use, and other problem behaviors have strong continuity for the development of criminal and antisocial behaviors as an adult. Dr. Merrin’s primary line of research seeks to clarify the developmental pathways underlying the emergence of identity-based harassment, victimization, and problem behaviors (substance use, aggression, delinquency) in the transition from adolescence to young adulthood. He is particularly interested in the development of these behaviors among various minority and oppressed groups (i.e., race, ethnicity, LGBT, gender, disability, immigrant status). Considering the nested nature of individuals within and across multiple social contexts, his research examines risk and protective factors across multiple levels of the social ecology. Generally, the aim of his work explores the following questions: (1) what are the long-term processes that support and mitigate the development of identity-based harassment, victimization, and problem behavior (substance use, aggression, delinquency); (2) when and for whom do these processes differ; (3) to what extent do these processes interact to influence the development of identity-based harassment, victimization, and problem behavior (substance use, aggression, delinquency); and (4) how can these findings be leveraged to influence prevention and intervention efforts?
Interests
- Identity based harassment, aggression, and victimization in the school context
- Delinquency, substance use, and other problem behaviors
- Prevention science and evaluation of school-based interventions
- Adolescence development and the transition to young adulthood
- Longitudinal quantitative methods
Education
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Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, 2017
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
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Ed.M. in Human Resource Development, 2010
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
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B.A. in Sociology, 2009
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
