Most generally, Dr. Gajos's research applies a developmental psychopathology framework and innovative statistical/analytic methods to the study of human behavior, with a particular focus on health-risk behaviors. She examines the influence of both environmental and individual-level factors on the course and variability of behavioral and health-related outcomes across time (at various time scales) and within important proximal social contexts. Toward this end, Dr. Gajos's research agenda focuses on three specific areas: (1) Examining the time-varying associations between environmental risk and protective factors and health-risk behaviors, such as substance use and antisocial behaviors. (2) Assessing the invariability as well as the variability that characterizes individuals across time and contexts. (3) Utilizing intensive longitudinal data to test and understand human behavior, and the implications of such approaches for informing prevention and intervention efforts.
