Research
I study adolescent social development and mental health with a focus on social cognition (i.e., how youth understand themselves and others) as a transdiagnostic mechanism of internalizing psychopathology. I am particularly interested in these processes among socially marginalized youth (e.g., low-status, low-income, and Latine adolescents).
To investigate these questions, I integrate across methods (behavioral, self-report, and neural) and scales (from years-long development to momentary dynamics). My studies include experimental paradigms, longitudinal and intensive longitudinal designs, task-based fMRI, and structural equation modeling within both frequentist and Bayesian frameworks. My long-term goal is to inform interventions and policies that decrease internalizing difficulties and promote well-being among young people.
Check out my recent publication in Trends in Cognitive Sciences: Multidimensional social cognitive profiles: Implications for adolescent internalizing psychopathology!
Free access through Aug 28, 2026: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1nPcy4sIRvapJT

Publications
* denotes shared first authorship † denotes corresponding author ‡ denotes mentee
NOTE: An important part of eliminating inequity includes increasing access to education resources. Please contact me should you have difficulty accessing any of the publications below and I will send it to you!
†Guazzelli Williamson, V., Allen, N. B., Pfeifer, J. H. Multidimensional social cognitive profiles: Implications for adolescent internalizing. Trends in Cognitive Sciences. Free access through August 28 2026: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1nPcy4sIRvapJT
†Guazzelli Williamson, V., Barendse, M. E. A., Chavez, S. J., Flournoy, J. C., Cheng, T. W., Cosme, D., Byrne, M. L., Allen, N. B., & Pfeifer, J. H. (2025). A longitudinal neuroimaging study of adolescent girls’ mentalizing and perspective-taking tendencies. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2025.101526
Stendel, M. S., Guthrie, T., Guazzelli Williamson, V., Chavez, R. S. (2024). Self-esteem modulates the brain-to-brain similarity of the representation of the self in the brains of others. Nature Communications Psychology. DOI: 10.1038/s44271-024-00148-8. PDF
Pastor-Ruiz, Y., Hihara, S., Martínez-Iñigo, D., Pérez-Torres, V., Guazzelli Williamson, V., Erreygers, S., Magis-Weinberg, L., Iwasa, Y. (2024). Online prosocial behavior during adolescence in Belgium, Japan, Peru, and Spain: Cross-national and gender invariance and differences in four countries. Journal of Children and Media. DOI: 10.1080/17482798.2024.2404525. PDF
†Guazzelli Williamson, V. (2023). Academia Should Respect and Use Authors’ Preferred Names. Nature Human Behaviour. DOI: 10.1038/s41562-023-01690-x. PDF.
†Guazzelli Williamson, V., & †Mills, K. (2023). Mentalizing Strategies in Navigating the Social World in Adolescence. Infant and Child Development. DOI: 10.1002/icd.2374. PDF.
†*Saragosa-Harris, NM, *†Chaku, N, †*MacSweeney, N, †*Guazzelli Williamson, V., Scheuplein, M, Feola, B, … Mills, KL. (2022). A practical guide for researchers and reviewers using the ABCD Study and other large longitudinal datasets. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101115. PDF.
†Guazzelli Williamson, V., Berger, E., Barendse, M., Pfeifer, J. H., Dahl, R., & Magis-Weinberg, L. (2021). Socio-ecological resilience relates to lower internalizing symptoms among adolescents during the strictest period of COVID-19 lockdown in Perú. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 50. DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/q9hcr. PDF.
†Barendse, M, Byrne, M, Flournoy, J, McNeilly, E, Guazzelli Williamson, V., Barrett, A, Chavez, S, Shirtcliff, E, Allen, N, Pfeifer, J. (2022). Multi-method assessment of pubertal timing and associations with internalizing psychopathology in early adolescent girls. In press at Journal of Abnormal Psychology. DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/p5vfb. PDF.
†Cheng, T, Magis-Weinberg, L, Guazzelli Williamson, V., Ladouceur, C, Whittle, S, Herting, M, Uban, K, Byrne, M, Barendse, M, Shirtcliff, E, Pfeifer, J. (2021). A researcher’s guide to the measurement and modeling of puberty in the ABCD StudyⓇ at baseline. Frontiers of Endocrinology. DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/4fv3k. PDF.
†Guazzelli Williamson, V., Lee, A, Miller, D, Huo, T, Maner, JK, Cardel, M. (2021). Psychological resilience, experimentally manipulated social status, and dietary intake among adolescents. Nutrients. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13030806. PDF.
Montoya-Williams, D., Guazzelli Williamson, V., Cardel, M., Fuentes-Afflick, E., Moldonado-Molina, M., Thompson, L. (2020). Nuances of the Hispanic Perinatal Paradox in the United States: A Scoping Review. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health. PMID: 33131006. DOI: 10.1007/s10903-020-01117-z. PDF.
*† Guazzelli Williamson, V. *‡ Dilip, A., ‡ Dillard, J.R., Morgan-Daniel, J., Lee, A. M., & Cardel, M. (2020). The Influence of Socioeconomic Status on Snacking Behaviors Among Adolescents. Nutrients. DOI: 10.3390/nu12010167. PDF.
†Hong, Y.R., Pavela, G., Lee, A. M., Guazzelli Williamson, V., & Cardel, M. (2019). Patients’ experiences with received health care services in individuals with overweight and obesity. The Journal of General Internal Medicine. DOI: 10.1007/s11606-019-04939-2. PDF.




