Nathan Field

Nathan Field is a Research Fellow at the University of Virginia, focusing on developmental psychology and adolescent behavior. He earned his Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2024 and holds dual B.A./B.S. degrees in Psychology and Cognitive Science from the University of Delaware (2019).

His research examines individual differences in susceptibility to peer influence, particularly how adolescents' decisions to engage in high-risk behaviors are shaped by parents, best friends, and romantic partners. Using longitudinal methods, he explores distal correlates of peer influence and identity alignment processes in social conformity.

Recent publications analyze adolescent substance use through multi-source normative influence models, socioevaluative concerns linked to peer status, and the relationship between identity alignment and self-esteem in high-status peer conformity. His work contributes to understanding developmental risk factors and social hierarchy dynamics in adolescent psychology.