As a lifespan developmental scientist, Dr. Wray-Lake takes a positive approach to studying developmental and psychological processes and seeks to understand and promote the conditions under which children, adolescents, and young adults thrive. One line of her research is focused on the development of values and civic engagement across adolescence and young adulthood. In this work, Dr. Wray-Lake is examining longitudinal patterns of social responsibility over time and the role of contexts in predicting change in social responsibility. A second line of research investigates processes of value socialization among adolescents and their parents and the role of value content in socialization processes.