Texas Tech University

Alan Reifman, Ph.D.

Professor
Human Development and Family Sciences

Email: alan.reifman@ttu.edu

Phone: (806) 834-5174

Office: HS 509

Currently accepting graduate students for Fall 2024

Alan Reifman

Research Focus

My research focus is Emerging Adulthood, the transition from adolescence to full-fledged adulthood. Reaching traditional adulthood milestones such as marriage, parenthood, career, and living on one's own takes much longer now (the late 20s or early 30s for many) than it did 50 years ago. For many of today's youth, reaching full adulthood involves a systematic process of exploration, trying out different educational and occupational tracks, and taking on increasing responsibilities. Some critics contend, however, that activities less conducive to becoming a mature adult, such as heavy drinking, sexual hook-ups, and extensive recreational activities (e.g., video games), are also common. My colleagues and I have developed a measure called the Inventory of the Dimensions of Emerging Adulthood (IDEA), which assesses exploration, taking responsibility for oneself, and other processes of the transition to adulthood. The IDEA has been cited nearly 100 times and translated into several languages. Beyond the IDEA, I study emerging-adult behavior in domains such as romantic relationships, relations with parents, substance use, and political activity. I am also interested in learning about and applying the latest research methodologies and statistical techniques. Currently, my colleagues and I have written papers putting forth new ideas about dyadic analysis.

Areas of Expertise

  • Emerging Adulthood (transition to adulthood)
  • Adolescent and young adult drinking
  • Interpersonal processes (romantic relationships, friendship networks)
  • Structural equation modeling
  • Dyadic analysis

Selected Publications

Reifman, A., Ursua-Benitez, M., Niehuis, S., Willis-Grossmann, E., & Thacker, M. (2020). #HappyAnniversary: Gender and age differences in spouses' and partners' Twitter greetings. Interpersona, 14, 54-68. Available online at: https://interpersona.psychopen.eu/index.php/interpersona/article/view/3799/3799.pdf 

Niehuis, S., Reifman, A., Weiser, D., Punyanunt-Carter, N., Flora, J., Arias, V. S., & Oldham, C. R. (2020). Guilty pleasure? Communicating sexually explicit content on dating apps and disillusionment with app usage. Human Communication Research, 46, 55-85. 

Niehuis, S., Reifman, A., Al-Khalil, K., Oldham, C. R., Fang, D., O'Boyle, M., & Davis, T. H. (2019). Functional magnetic resonance imaging activation in response to prompts of romantically disillusioning events. Personal Relationships, 26, 209-231. 

Reifman, A., & Niehuis, S. (2018-). Over- and under-perceiving social support from one's partner and relationship quality over time. Marriage & Family Review, 54, 793-805.

Reifman, A., Oblad, T., & Niehuis, S. (2017). Long-term psychological health among individuals pursuing emerging adulthood-type pathways in the 1950s and 1960s. Journal of Adult Development, 24, 119-132.

Reifman, A., & Grahe, J. E. (2016). Introduction to the special issue of Emerging Adulthood. Emerging Adulthood, 4, 135-141.

Lisha, N. E., Grana, R., Sun, P., Rohrbach, L., Spruijt-Metz, D., Reifman, A., & Sussman, S. (2014). Evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Revised Inventory of the Dimensions of Emerging Adulthood (IDEA-R) in a sample of continuation high school students. Evaluation and the Health Professions, 37, 156-177.

Reifman, A., & Oblad, T. (2012, Fall). College students' and parents' communication and views of proper assistance with school-related matters.AHEPPP Journal [Association of Higher Education Parent/Family Program Professionals; refereed electronic journal], 3(2). Available at: http://www.aheppp.org.

Reifman, A. (2011). Romantic relationships in emerging adulthood: Conceptual foundations. In F. D. Fincham & M. Cui (Eds.), Romantic relationships in emerging adulthood (pp. 15-26). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Links

Gateway to Dr. Reifman's Course Webpages, Academic Resources, and Blogs
https://www.myweb.ttu.edu/areifman/default.html

Dr. Reifman's Emerging Adulthood Blog
http://emergingadulthood.blogspot.com/

Dr. Reifman's Emerging Adulthood Lab
https://www.depts.ttu.edu/hs/hdfs/research/emerging_adulthood/

Romantic and Marital Relationships Lab
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/hs/hdfs/research/smitten/

Meet Professor Alan Reifman, Ph.D.