Daniela Chávez

Daniela Chávez is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the INVEST Research Flagship Centre, University of Turku, Finland, specializing in adolescent social dynamics and behavioral development. Her work bridges psychology and educational sciences through rigorous longitudinal and network-based methodologies.

Her research portfolio centers on:

• Prosocial behavior contagion and development in peer networks
• Peer acceptance/rejection dynamics and their bidirectional relationships with behavior
• Teacher-student bullying victimization and consequences
• Ethnic/homophobic prejudice among educators
• Cross-ethnic friendship formation mechanisms
• Peer status profiles influencing prosocial/aggressive trajectories

Analysis of her 2021-2024 publications reveals a cohesive focus on longitudinal social network approaches to adolescent behavior. Key trends include examining how prosocial behaviors spread through peer networks, how teacher prejudice manifests through moral/religious frameworks, and how social class perceptions affect intergroup friendships. Her work consistently integrates developmental psychology with real-world educational contexts.

Chávez operates within the INVEST Research Flagship Centre, a multidisciplinary initiative at the University of Turku dedicated to advancing knowledge on learning, health, and well-being across the lifespan through collaborative social science research.