Duke Psychology & Neuroscience

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  • Steven R Asher

  • Professor
  • Psychology and Neuroscience
  • 240 Soc-Psych
  • Campus Box 90085
  • Phone: (919) 660-5773
  • Fax: 919-660-5726
  • Curriculum Vitae

  • Specialties

    • Developmental Psychology

  • Research Summary

    Peer Relations and Social Competence

  • Research Description

    My research interests center on social development in childhood,early adolescence, and the college years with a focus on the conceptualization and assessment of relational competence and relational outcomes among youth and young adults. This focus includes:(1) studies of social cognition, especially the goals children and college students pursue in response to interpersonal conflict and other challenging social task; (2) studies of how social relationships influence feelings of loneliness and belonging in elementary school, middle school, and college; (3) emerging research on how maladaptive beliefs about friendship play a role in college students' relationship adjustment. As part of this program of research, my graduate students, and on-campus collaborators in Duke University's Division of Student Affairs have recently completed a four-year longitudinal study of the connections between social relationships, alcohol use, academic engagement, and feelings of well-being in college.

  • Education

      • PhD,
      • University of Wisconsin, Madison,
      • 1972
      • MA Psychology (Social),
      • University of Wisconsin, Madison,
      • 1968
      • BA in Psychology (with honors),
      • Rutgers--The State University, Newark,
      • 1966

  • Awards, Honors and Distinctions

      • Fellow Status,
      • American Psychological Society,
      • 0 1997
      • Distinguished Senior Scholar,
      • College of Education, University of Illinois,
      • 0 1987
      • Fellow Status,
      • Division 15 of the American Psychological Association,
      • 0 1986
      • Fellow Status,
      • Division 7 of the American Psychological Association,
      • 0 1982
      • Fellow Status,
      • Division 9 of the American Psychological Association,
      • 0 1980
      • Bureau of Educational Research,
      • College of Education, University of Illinois,
      • 0 1979
      • Fellow,
      • Center for Advanced Study, University of Illinois,
      • 1972-1973
      • Graduate College Faculty Fellowship,
      • University of Illinois,
      • Summer, 1972
      • National Institute of Health Traineeship,
      • University of Wisconsin, Madison, Department of Psychology,
      • 1967-1969
      • May Edel Memorial Award for the Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Anthropology,
      • Rutgers--The State University, Newark,
      • June 1966
      • St. John Award for the Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Psychology,
      • Rutgers--The State University, Newark,
      • 0 1966

  • Selected Publications

      • Asher, S. R., Parker, J. G., & Walker, D. L..
      • 1996.
      • Distinguishing friendship from acceptance: Implications for intervention and assessment.
      • 366-405
      • .
      • Erdley, C.A. & Asher, S.R..
      • 1996.
      • Children's social goals and self-efficacy perceptions as influences on their responses to ambiguous provocation.
      • Child Development
      • 67:
      • 1329-1344
      • .
      • Asher, S.R. & Rose, A.J..
      • 1997.
      • Promoting children's social-emotional development with peers.
      • 196-224
      • .
      • Asher, S. R., & Hopmeyer, A..
      • 1997.
      • Loneliness in childhood.
      • 279-292
      • .
      • Rose, A.J. & Asher, S.R..
      • 1999.
      • Children's goals and strategies in response to conflicts within a friendship.
      • Developmental Psychology
      • 35:
      • 69-79
      • .
      • Rudolph, K.D., & Asher, S. R..
      • 2000.
      • Adaptation and maladaptation in the peer system.
      • 157-175
      • .
      • Asher, S.R., Rose, A.J. & Gabriel, S.W..
      • 2001.
      • Peer rejection in everyday life.
      • 105-142
      • .
      • Guerra, V.S. Asher, S.R. & DeRosier, M.E..
      • 2004.
      • Effect of children’s perceived rejection on physical aggression.
      • Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
      • 32:
      • 551-563
      • .
      • Rose, A. J., & Asher, S.R..
      • 2004.
      • Children's strategies and goals in response to help-giving and help-seeking tasks within a friendship.
      • Child Development
      • 75:
      • 749-763
      • .
      • Troop-Gordon, W., & Asher, S. R..
      • 2005.
      • Modifications in children's goals when encountering obstacles to conflict resolution.
      • Child Development
      • 76:
      • 568-582
      • .
      • Asher, S.R., & McDonald, K.L..
      • 2009.
      • The behavioral basis of acceptance, rejection, and perceeived popularity.
      • 232-248
      • .
      • Asher, S.R., MacEvoy, J.P., & McDonald, K.L..
      • 2008.
      • Children's peer relations, social competence, and school adjustment: A social tasks and social goals perspectives..
      • 357-390
      • .
      • MacEvoy, J. P., & Asher, S. R..
      • 2012.
      • When friends disappoint: Boys’ and girls’ responses to transgressions of friendship expectations.
      • Child Development
      • 83:
      • 104-119
      • .
      • Asher, S.R., Brechwald, W., & McDonald, K.L. (in press).
      • Children as friends.
      • .
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  • PhD Students

Steven R Asher
  • brain scan