King's Psychology professor is awarded SSHRC Insight Grant
July 24, 2018
Dr. Wendy Ellis, Professor of Psychology, will receive a grant of just over $56,000 over two years from the SSHRC Insight Development Grant. The funds will be awarded during 2018-2020 to be used towards her research – What Happens When Adolescents Lie for Likes? Predictors and Adjustment Consequences for Deceptive and Normative Like-Seeking on Social Networking Sites. She was awarded this grant along with Dr. Tara Dumas of the department of Psychology from Huron University College.
Dr. Ellis says that presently, there is not much understanding on what impact social media use might have on teens’ self-esteem, wellbeing and identity. “The goal of our project”, says Dr. Ellis, “is to examine how seeking social validation on false terms (i.e., deceptive like-seeking) affects youth adjustment. We also aim to examine potential predictors (e.g., peer belonging) and moderators (e.g., online parental supervision) of social networking sites like seeking and adjustment.”
Dr. Eillis is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology. Her research interests span a range of topics related to social development in childhood and adolescence. Her main research focus has been on group influence and documenting the processes through which children’s groups influence their members in both positive and negative domains. Among other courses, Dr. Ellis teaches Developmental Psychology and a seminar on Social Relationships in Childhood and Adolescence at King’s.
Congratulations on receiving this grant, Dr. Ellis!