J. Lawrence Aber
· Paulette Goddard Professor of Psychology and Public PolicyVerifiedNew York University · Educational Psychology
Active 1979–2026
About
Professor J. Lawrence Aber is a co-founder of Global TIES for Children at NYU, an international research center that combines cutting-edge and cross-disciplinary research to support initiatives enabling children, their caregivers, teachers, and communities to thrive. His work involves examining early childhood development, education, and peace in a divided world, with a focus on ethical and culturally responsive biomarker research in the majority world. He has contributed to understanding the effects of early childhood programs, such as father engagement initiatives in refugee camps, and has been involved in projects related to health-care services, inequality in early childhood development, and innovative educational models. His research aims to inform policy and practice to improve outcomes for children globally.
Research topics
- Business
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Finance
- Environmental planning
- Public economics
- Medicine
- Economic growth
- Developmental psychology
- Economics
- Actuarial science
- Geography
- Psychiatry
Selected publications
International Journal of Behavioral Development · 2026-04-29
articleThis study investigates bidirectional relationships between Syrian refugee children’s social and emotional learning (SEL) skills and academic performance in an education support program in Lebanon. Using data from a cluster randomized control trial with 2,757 students who completed performance-based academic assessments and reports of their SEL skills from 131 teachers, we examine bidirectional associations between academic and five teacher-observable SEL skills/behaviors: Working Memory Functioning, Inhibitory Control Functioning, Prosocial Behavior, Hyperactivity & Externalizing Behavior, and Emotional Distress & Internalizing Behavior. Controlling for child-, teacher-, household risk-, and site-level covariates, multilevel modeling revealed that Working Memory Functioning uniquely stood apart from other SEL domains: start-of-year teacher-reported Working Memory Functioning predicted end-of-year academic performance, and start-of-year academic performance predicted end-of-year teacher-reported Working Memory Functioning. No other SEL skills demonstrated such bidirectional associations. Start-of-year academic performance also negatively predicted end-of-year teacher-reported Emotional Distress. Findings highlight the distinct and central role of Working Memory Functioning in academic learning, suggesting that easier-to-collect academic performance data may serve as an indicator of SEL skills that may be difficult to assess sans strong teacher–student relationships. Further, they highlight the utility of teacher-reported SEL assessments in resource-constrained contexts, calling attention to bidirectional developmental pathways when supporting children’s holistic well-being.
2025-07-24
book-chapterAbstract This chapter critically reviews opportunities and challenges in designing and conducting actionable research on improving preprimary school quality and children’s learning and development, with a case study in Ghana. We describe the development of a research–practice partnership among university-based researchers, a local research organization, and Ghana’s Ministry of Education. The partnership developed and evaluated an in-service teacher training and a parental awareness program. Both programs pursued the same goals of increasing child-centered and play-based learning and improving children’s school readiness. We discuss the successes and challenges of scaling-up a successful teacher in-service training program. In addition, we describe unexpected findings of the parental awareness program that pose several new research questions. Implications for future research on measuring and improving preprimary educational quality through similar research–practice partnerships are discussed.
Post-migration risks, developmental processes, and learning among Syrian refugee children in Lebanon
UNC Libraries · 2025-07-15
articleOpen accessCoaching-Observing-Reflecting-Engaging: An Intervention for the Development of Teacher Wellbeing
Journal on Education in Emergencies · 2025-01-01 · 1 citations
articleOpen accessSupport to improve teacher wellbeing is scarce in almost all contexts, but especially so in low- and middle-income settings in which teachers face both professional and personal challenges (Kirk and Winthrop 2007; Mendenhall, Gomez, and Varni 2018). In this field note, we discuss War Child's development of Coaching-Observing-Reflecting-Engaging (CORE) for Teachers, an intervention that focuses on improving teachers' wellbeing. CORE is grounded in acceptance and commitment therapy and in the social-emotional framework of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. It also draws from current research, including Jennings and Greenberg's (2009) prosocial classroom model. CORE aims to have a positive influence on classroom climate by providing teachers with the skills and knowledge they need to create an enabling, impactful, and safe learning environment for their students. In this field note, we outline the background on the development of the CORE intervention, including a literature review, the development of a theory of change, and field testing conducted in Chocó, Colombia. Having been field tested and adapted, CORE now is ready for further studies to determine feasibility and effectiveness.
Social Psychology of Education · 2025-07-04 · 1 citations
articleOpen accessIn this paper, we present two studies from the first randomized controlled trial on the impact of a values affirmation intervention on academic performance and psychological well-being in school for deaf students in secondary deaf schools in Nepal. In Study 1, we found moderate and suggestive evidence that values affirmation had a small effect on lowering students’ perceived stereotype threats and improving their academic performance. Contrary to the evidence in past studies, the affirmation effect was stronger among students who initially reported facing fewer stereotype threats. These findings suggested that the intervention might not counter severe threats for some students but could help those facing objectively high, yet relatively lower, threats by providing a psychological buffer. In Study 2, we conducted a qualitative thematic analysis of students’ reflections in both the treatment and control exercises and used the thematic codes to predict academic performance separately within each treatment condition. We found strong evidence that reflections on the themes “Self-awareness and growth in self-identity” and “Relationship with friends” were positively associated with better academic performance for students in the treatment group. We found no evidence that any themes in the control group negatively predicted academic performance for students in the control group. These findings pinpoint plausible context-speific mechanisms for values affirmation and provide an example research agenda for future values affirmation studies targeting vulnerable populations in novel contexts.
From Philosophical Anthropology to Developmental Psychology: Working Pasteur’s Quadrant
Cambridge University Press eBooks · 2025-02-18
book-chapter1st authorCorrespondingUNC Libraries · 2024-02-17
articleOpen accessBackground: The CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) Statement was developed to help biomedical researchers report randomised controlled trials (RCTs) transparently. We have developed an extension to the CONSORT 2010 Statement for social and psychological interventions (CONSORT-SPI 2018) to help behavioural and social scientists report these studies transparently. Methods: Following a systematic review of existing reporting guidelines, we conducted an online Delphi process to prioritise the list of potential items for the CONSORT-SPI 2018 checklist identified from the systematic review. Of 384 international participants, 321 (84%) participated in both rating rounds. We then held a consensus meeting of 31 scientists, journal editors, and research funders (March 2014) to finalise the content of the CONSORT-SPI 2018 checklist and flow diagram. Results: CONSORT-SPI 2018 extends 9 items (14 including sub-items) from the CONSORT 2010 checklist, adds a new item (with 3 sub-items) related to stakeholder involvement in trials, and modifies the CONSORT 2010 flow diagram. This Explanation and Elaboration (E&E) document is a user manual to enhance understanding of CONSORT-SPI 2018. It discusses the meaning and rationale for each checklist item and provides examples of complete and transparent reporting. Conclusions: The CONSORT-SPI 2018 Extension, this E&E document, and the CONSORT website ( www.consort-statement.org ) are helpful resources for improving the reporting of social and psychological intervention RCTs.
Development and Psychopathology · 2024-11-19 · 3 citations
articleOpen access1st authorCorrespondingThis study explores patterns of self-regulation and emotional well-being among Syrian refugee children in Lebanon, employing a person-centered approach, responding to theoretical challenges articulated by Dante Cicchetti and other psychologists. Using latent profile analysis with data from 2,132 children, we identified seven distinct profiles across cognitive regulation, emotional-behavioral regulation, interpersonal regulation, and emotional well-being. These profiles showed significant heterogeneity in patterns of self-regulation across domains and emotional well-being among Syrian children. Some profiles consistently exhibited either positive ("Well-regulated and Adjusted") or negative ("Moody and Frustrated") functioning across all domains, while others revealed domain-specific challenges, e.g., particularly sensitive to interpersonal conflict. This heterogeneity in the organization of self-regulatory skill and emotional well-being challenges the traditional homogeneous view of child development in conflict settings. The study also underscores the profiles' differential associations with demographic characteristics and experiences, with school-related experiences being particularly salient. We discuss the implications of these findings for future research in developmental psychopathology on self-regulation and emotional well-being in conflict-affected contexts. In addition, we advocate for tailored interventions to meet the diverse needs of children affected by conflict.
White Rose Research Online (University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, University of York) · 2024-02-17
articleOpen accessBackground: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are used to evaluate social and psychological interventions and inform policy decisions about them. Accurate, complete, and transparent reports of social and psychological intervention RCTs are essential for understanding their design, conduct, results, and the implications of the findings. However, the reporting of RCTs of social and psychological interventions remains suboptimal. The CONSORT Statement has improved the reporting of RCTs in biomedicine. A similar high-quality guideline is needed for the behavioural and social sciences. Our objective was to develop an official extension of the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials 2010 Statement (CONSORT 2010) for reporting RCTs of social and psychological interventions: CONSORT-SPI 2018. Methods: We followed best practices in developing the reporting guideline extension. First, we conducted a systematic review of existing reporting guidelines. We then conducted an online Delphi process including 384 international participants. In March 2014, we held a 3-day consensus meeting of 31 experts to determine the content of a checklist specifically targeting social and psychological intervention RCTs. Experts discussed previous research and methodological issues of particular relevance to social and psychological intervention RCTs. They then voted on proposed modifications or extensions of items from CONSORT 2010. Results: The CONSORT-SPI 2018 checklist extends 9 of the 25 items from CONSORT 2010: background and objectives, trial design, participants, interventions, statistical methods, participant flow, baseline data, outcomes and estimation, and funding. In addition, participants added a new item related to stakeholder involvement, and they modified aspects of the flow diagram related to participant recruitment and retention. Conclusions: Authors should use CONSORT-SPI 2018 to improve reporting of their social and psychological intervention RCTs. Journals should revise editorial policies and procedures to require use of reporting guidelines by authors and peer reviewers to produce manuscripts that allow readers to appraise study quality, evaluate the applicability of findings to their contexts, and replicate effective interventions.
Frontiers in Psychology · 2023-01-25 · 9 citations
articleOpen accessSenior authorIntroduction: In humanitarian settings, social-emotional learning (SEL) programs for children are often delivered using a field-feasible approach where the programs are more easily deployable and adaptable in the field, require minimal training, and depend less on the strict sequence and structure of the program components to elicit the intended treatment effect. However, evidence is lacking on what aspects of this implementation approach enable the SEL programming to be more beneficial to children's SEL development. Method: ) implemented in 20 primary schools in two low-income chiefdoms of Sierra Leone. Results: We find preliminary evidence of predictive validity that these dosage measures could predict children's attendance and classroom adaptive behavior. Discussion: This study is the first to develop procedures to measure the dimensions of dosage of brief SEL activities in humanitarian settings. Our findings illuminate the need for future research on optimizing the dosage and implementation design of SEL programming using brief SEL activities.
Recent grants
NIH · $1.1M · 2005
NIH · $2.3M · 2014
NIH · $2.2M · 2012
Frequent coauthors
- 38 shared
Lindsay Brown
- 31 shared
Edward Seidman
New York University
- 27 shared
Sharon Wolf
University of Pennsylvania
- 25 shared
Elizabeth T. Gershoff
- 25 shared
Joshua L. Brown
Fordham University
- 23 shared
Stephanie M. Jones
- 22 shared
Ha Yeon Kim
New York University
- 20 shared
Carly Tubbs Dolan
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