Courses Taught
- Adolescent Development
- Adult Development
- Child Development
- Human Growth and Development
- Independent Research
- Introduction to Psychology
- Integrated Statistics and Research Methods
- Peer Relations
- Psychological Disorders in Childhood
- Senior Seminar
- Social and Personality Development
- Social Psychology
- Writing in Psychology
Research Interests
- Social and emotional development in children, adolescents, and emerging adults
- Peer relations (friendship, victimization, exclusion, romantic relationships)
- Shyness and social withdrawal
- Internalizing symptoms
- Developmental psychopathology
-
Environmental impacts on developmental trajectories
Professional Memberships
- Association for Psychological Science
- Psi Chi, Psychology Honor Society
- Society for Research in Adolescence
- Society for Research in Child Development
- Society for the Teaching of Psychology
- Southeastern Psychological Association
Awards
- Harrison Award for Rising Star
- National Society of Leadership and Success Excellence in Teaching Award
Selected Publications
Scott, V.*, Shell, M. D. & Gazelle, H. (2015). Anxious solitary adolescents’ coping in response to peer stress. Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research, 20, 18-28.
Shell, M. D., Gazelle, H. & Faldowski, R. A. (2014). Anxious solitude and the middle school transition: A child × environment model of peer exclusion and victimization trajectories. Developmental Psychology, 50, 1569-1589. doi:10.1037/a0035528
Gazelle, H. & Shell, M. D. (2014). Anxious solitude at school. In R. J. Coplan & J. C. Bowker (Eds.), Handbook of solitude: Psychological perspectives on social isolation, social withdrawal, and being alone (pp. 263-282). New York, NY: Wiley-Blackwell.
Gazelle, H., & Druhen, M. J. (2009). Anxious solitude and peer exclusion predict social helplessness, upset affect, and vagal regulation in response to behavioral rejection by a friend. Developmental Psychology, 45, 1077-1096. doi:10.1037/a0016165.
Presentations
Chadwell, C.,* Shell, M. D. & Feeser, K. (2015, March). Gratitude and positive affect as predictors of positive relationships. Poster presented at the Southeastern Psychological Association Conference, Hilton Head, SC.
VanDyke, S.* & Shell, M. D. (2014, April). Perceived risk for breast cancer and preventative behavior among women in rural Appalachia. Paper presented at the National Council for Undergraduate Research Conference, Lexington, KY.
Shell, M. D., Gazelle, H. & Scott, V.* (2014, March). Anxious solitary youths’ emotional responses to peer challenge in middle childhood predict coping styles in early adolescence. In (H. Gazelle, chair) Socially withdrawn youth: Interpersonal and emotional development. Symposium for the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Adolescence, Austin, TX.
VanDyke, S.* & Shell, M. D. (2014, March). Health attitudes predict breast cancer screening in rural Appalachian women. Poster presented at the Southeastern Psychological Association Conference, Nashville, TN.
Scott, V.* & Shell, M. D. (2013, April). Negative coping strategies among anxious solitary adolescents. Poster presented at the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges Research Conference, Wise, VA.