Blake Glatley spent his summer doing research at Radboud University in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. He worked with Radboud faculty member Antonius H.N. Cillessen, while also receiving mentoring from Dr. Andrea Lourie at Denison. Blake sought out this research collaboration and found support for his summer experience through the Lisska Center for Scholarly Engagement. Through financial funding (Sue Douthit O’Donnell Fund), Blake was able to live and work in The Netherlands while researching adolescent social development.
Blake’s research aimed to understand how the social ending of high school (graduation) influences students’ social behaviors and motivations to gain social status. Blake analyzed longitudinal data from over 800 students in a US high school. His results revealed that students placed less importance on popularity, were less relationally aggressive and prosocial later in high school, and decreased their immediate friend group by about 1 person by graduation.
Blake says, “My time researching in The Netherlands provided me with a new set of statistical skills, theory organization methods, and the ability to interact closely with graduate students and well-established professors in the field of peer relations. I was also able to immerse myself in a completely new culture and recognize differences that exist between American and Dutch cultures.”
Blake plans to apply to Ph.D. programs in Developmental Psychology/Human Development with a focus on peer relations. Learn more about Blake’s research from his LinkedIn profile.
Congratulations, Blake, on creating a summer experience tailor-made for your research interests!
Each week we will feature a new 2021 summer scholar in psychology.
