Fred Clavel

My name is Fred Clavel and I earned my Master's degree in general psychology with an emphasis on quantitative methods at New York University, before coming to Iowa State to pursue a Ph.D. in social psychology. I study close relationships with a dual emphasis on substantive processes and methodological & statistical issues.

My interests include social support dynamics in romantic couples, the role of dyad-level emotions & empathy in couples’ patterns of momentary and daily support behavior, the effects of context on couples' functioning over time, relationships and health & well-being, and issues of the self in relationships. My methodological interests include modeling relationship phenomena using complex multilevel approaches, using intensive longitudinal designs to examine individual and dyad-level change, construct validity and response-style issues in the measurement of relationship variables, and methods of modeling functional interdependence in couples over time.

I am currently engaged in several lines of research. I am examining the long-term effects of life stressors such as racial discrimination and chronic financial strain, on the dyadic support experiences and mental health of married and cohabiting couples. I am also investigating how daily emotional linkage in proximal and long-distance couples affects day-to-day behavior between partners, and he is involved in experimental research examining the ways in which social support can backfire and make recipients feel worse rather than better.

Outside of my research, I am a writer for Science of Relationships, an online publication that features findings from relationships research, tailored for the general public. I am also a Graduate Mentoring Committee member for the International Association for Relationships Research. Additionally, I develop statistical tools for data analysis & management, and publish statistical tutorials for students across multiple levels of expertise, via my academic blog.

I have received multiple awards for conference presentations, was the recipient of a 2014 Graduate Student Travel Award from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, and recently I received a Teaching Excellence Award from the Graduate College at Iowa State.

My favorite thing about being at Iowa State has been my experiences with ISU’s exceptional education in statistics & data analytic processes.