Dr. Doane is one of the contributing PIs of the Arizona Twin Project and collaborates with Dr. Kathryn Lemery-Chalfant (founder and PI of the Arizona Twin Project) and Dr. Mary Davis (contributing PI). The Arizona Twin Project is an ongoing longitudinal study designed to elucidate gene-environment interplay underlying the development of risk and resilience to common mental and physical health problems during infancy, childhood, and adolescence. The overarching goal of the Arizona Twin Project addresses a central developmental question – how resilience (the capacity to bounce back following adversity) develops and affects the impact of early risk on child physical health and common mental health disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, conduct problems, anxiety, and depression. The Arizona Twin Project spans individual, family, neighborhood, and sociocultural levels of analysis, with an emphasis on sleep, pain, physiological stress processes, mental and physical health, and academic competence. Importantly, our ethnically (>31% Latinx) and socioeconomically diverse sample is representative of the state of Arizona, thus affording the opportunity to consider the role of culture in the etiology of various child outcomes. In sum, the Arizona Twin Project utilizes behavior genetic methods in order to understand risk and resilience processes that promote healthy development.
Dr. Doane is PI of the Transiciones study. Latinos have made large strides in higher education and are now the largest minority group at four-year institutions, but substantial inequalities continue to persist for this group. The transition to college is a critical juncture during which daily experiences (e.g., discrimination), family obligations, and changing life stressors (e.g., academic demands) may influence adjustment and subsequent academic success for Latino youth. Most prior research has only examined Latino youth after they arrive at an institution and has largely ignored day-to-day changes in health (stress hormones, sleep or alcohol use) and perceived stressors that may influence subsequent academic trajectories. In order to address these gaps, the Transiciones study was designed to answer two primary research questions: 1) how do daily stress experiences and health behaviors contribute to successful academic achievement and integration in college for Latino students? 2) Do cultural (e.g., family educational aspirations) or institutional (e.g., participation in Latino-specific programs) resources influence achievement and engagement? We first conducted focus groups with parents and students to identify sources of stress and resources for Latino youth as they transition to college. We then examined daily experiences of Latino youth using daily assessments of stress and health before and after the college transition. Finally, we are studying the influence of daily experiences and health on subsequent academic achievement and integration.
The study of culture in psychology has centered primarily on ethnicity and nationality. In this study we examine a broader definition of culture including social class, region of origin, religion, gender, political culture and many others. In collaboration with social (PI: Adam Cohen), cognitive (Co-PI: Gene Brewer) and quantitative (Co-PI: Kevin Grimm) psychologists, we are using qualitative focus groups, large quantitative surveys, cognitive memory tasks, and ecological momentary assessment techniques to understand: 1) what cultures are important to people; 2) stability of cultural identities; 3) what factors predict variability in cultural identities; 4) how peoples’ cultural identities and their stability or variability predict adjustment. Dr. Doane is leading LivesMix, the year-long ecological momentary assessment of cultural identities across the transition and adjustment to college.