April Gile Thomas

I am a doctoral candidate in the Department of Psychology and Social Behavior at the University of California, Irvine (anticipated graduation June 2017). I earned my Masters of Science in Human Development and Family Studies at Colorado State University in 2011.

My research addresses the question “Why do adolescents take risks?” Broadly, I study adolescent development, particularly as it pertains to risk-taking and problem behavior. My training in developmental psychology has led me to view the increase in risk taking that occurs during adolescence, as compared to childhood or adulthood, as a normative response to the many changes that occur during this developmental phase. I am also interested in what happens when adolescents engage in risky behavior that is also illegal. As a result, my research is not limited to community samples, but has also included first-time juvenile offenders, as well as more serious, felony-level juvenile offenders.

I have an extensive research history and my work has been published in some of the top journals in my field, including Child Development and the Journal of Youth and Adolescence.

October 2016