Charisse Nixon, Ph.D.

Charisse Nixon, Ph.D.
Program Chair, Elementary and Early Childhood Education
Associate Director, Susan Hirt Hagen CORE
Professor of Psychology, Psychology program and Clinical Psychology M.A. program
CORE, Federal House

Mailing Address:
SUSAN HIRT HAGEN CORE
PENN STATE BEHREND
FEDERAL HOUSE
5343 STATION ROAD
ERIE, PA 16510

As a full professor, Dr. Charisse Nixon is active in the academic and applied spheres at Penn State Behrend. Much of her research focuses on preventing peer aggression and promoting resiliency among youth. Her background in developmental psychology and quantitative research is an especially positive contribution to CORE, as she helps lead many research initiatives that focus on promoting positive youth development for Erie youth.

Courses Taught

  • C I 295, Introductory Field Experience for Teacher Preparation
  • PSU 007, First-Year Seminar Behrend
  • PSY 434, Children's Social & Emotional Development
  • PSYCH 100, Introductory Psychology (formerly PSY 002)
  • PSYCH 212, Introduction to Developmental Psychology
  • PSYCH 221, Introduction to Social Psychology (formerly PSY 217)
  • PSYCH 231, Introduction to the Psychology of Gender
  • PSYCH 301W, Basic Research Methods in Psychology
  • PSYCH 406W, Advanced Research Projects in Psychology
  • PSYCH 412, Adolescence
  • PSYCH 414, Social and Personality Development
  • PSYCH 490H, Senior Seminar in Psychology
  • PSYCH 494, Research Projects
  • PSYCH 496, Independent Studies
  • PSYCH 487B, Social Psychology in Our Lives
  • PSYCH 497C, Research Presentation in Psychology
  • PSYCH 497K, Applied Developmental Research

Research

  • Youth Voice Project: In collaboration with Stan Davis, we are looking at how students’ perceptions of peer victimization, strategy effectiveness, and school connectedness contribute to perceived levels of trauma. We believe that students’ voices are an invaluable resource to increase our understanding of effective prevention and intervention efforts. The overall goal of this project is to compile a body of knowledge describing the most helpful interventions in order to help adults and youth reduce bullying and harassment in their own schools. It is our hope to use this information to guide educators, parents, and youth in applying effective interventions to reduce bullying and, subsequently, optimize students’ development.
  • The Empirical Study of Protective and Risk Factors: Our lab continues to investigate various protective and risk factors as they relate to students’ developmental outcomes across gender and grade level.
  • Mentoring in the Schools: How does college mentoring affect students’ development in middle and high school? Are there different effects for at-risk and not at-risk children and youth? Gender effects? Grade level effects? Which individual components of a mentoring program produce the greatest effects? This is a collaborative effort between local schools, colleges, and community organizations. College students have been involved at every level of this process. 

Effects of Students’ Grade Level, Gender, and Form of Bullying Victimization on Coping Strategy Effectiveness, International Journal of Bullying Prevention - June 27, 2020
Collaborators: Dharma Jairam; Stan Davis; Christine Linkie; Seria Chatters; James Hodge

Responding to bullying victimization: Comparative analysis of victimized students in general and special education, Journal of Disability Policy Studies - March, 2017
Collaborators: Michael Hartley, Co-Author; Sheri Bauman, Co-Author; Stan Davis, Co-Author

Racially-focused peer victimization: Prevalence, psychosocial impacts, and the influence of coping strategies , Psychology of Violence - 2016
Collaborators: JJ Mendez, Co-Author; Sheri Bauman, Co-Author; Michael Sulkowski, Co-Author; Stan Davis, Co-Author

Targets of peer mistreatment: Do they tell adults? What happens when they do? , Teaching and Teacher Education - 2016
Collaborators: Sheri Bauman, Co-Author; DJ Meter, Co-Author; Stan Davis, Co-Author

Manuscript ID JDPS-10-15-0110 titled "Responding to Bullying Victimization: Comparative Analysis of Victimized Students in General and Special Education,", Journal of Disability Policy Studies
Collaborators: Michael Hartley, Primary Author; Sheri Bauman, Co-Author; Stan Davis, Co-Author

Peer Victimization in Youth from Immigrant and Non-Immigrant U.S. Families, School Psychology International
Collaborators: Michael Sulkowski, Co-Author; Sheri Bauman; Savannah Wright; Stan Davis

Cyber-Bullying, Adolescent Health, Medicine and Therapeutics - 2014

An investigation into how students' respond to being victimized by peer aggression, Journal of School Violence - 2014
Collaborators: Michael Sulkowski, Co-Author; Sheri Bauman, Co-Author; Stephanie Dinner, Co-Author; Stanley Davis, Co-Author

Racially-Focused Peer Victimization Prevalence, Psychosocial Impacts, and the Influence of Coping Strategies, Psychology of Violence
Collaborators: Julian Mendez; Sheri Bauman; Stan Davis; Array Array

Comparative study of bullying victimization among students in general and special education, Exceptional Children
Collaborators: Michael Hartley, Co-Author; Sheri Bauman; Stanley Davis

Youth Voice Project: Student Insights into Bullying and Peer Mistreatment - November, 2013
Collaborator: S. Davis, Co-Author

Borden and Abbott’s Research Design and Methods - 2012

Empowering Bystanders - 2011
Collaborator: S. Davis

Relational victimization and somatic complaints during adolescence, Journal of Adolescent Health - 2011
Collaborators: C.A. Linkie; P.K. Coleman; C. Fitch

What students say about bullying, Educational Leadership - 2011
Collaborator: S. Davis

Reducing adolescents’ involvement with relational aggression: evaluating the effectiveness of the Creating A Safe School (CASS) Intervention, Psychology in the Schools - 2010
Collaborator: N.E. Werner

Predictors and correlates of abortion in the fragile families and well-being study: Paternal behavior, substance use, and partner violence, International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction - 2009
Collaborators: C.D. Maxey; M. Spence; P.K. Coleman

Foreword - 2008

Matlin’s Psychology of Women - 2008

Effectiveness of antismoking public service announcements on children’s intent to smoke, Psychology of Addictive Behaviors - 2008
Collaborators: P. Mansfield; M. Thoms

What is relational aggression? - 2007

Santrock’s Child Development - 2006

An exploratory analysis of the relationship between consumer socialization agents and children’s consumption of tobacco, Journal of College Teaching & Learning - 2006
Collaborators: P. Mansfield; M. Thoms

Normative beliefs and relational aggression: An investigation of the cognitive bases of adolescent aggressive behavior, Journal of Youth and Adolescence - 2005
Collaborator: N. Werner

Girl wars: 12 strategies that will end female bullying - 2003
Collaborator: C. Dellasega

Family experiences and early emotion understanding, Merrill-Palmer Quarterly - 2001
Collaborator: A.C. Watson

Sibling disability and children’s reactivity to conflicts involving family members, Journal of Family Psychology - 1999
Collaborator: E.M. Cummings

Social interaction skills and theory of mind in young children, Developmental Psychology - 1999
Collaborators: A.C. Watson; A. Wilson; L. Capage

Ph D, Developmental Psychology, West Virginia University

MS, Psychology, West Virginia University

MA, Guidance & Counseling, Bowling Green State University

BS, Psychology, Biology, Marietta College