Dr. Jeffrey Noel’s research and evaluation work aims to understand, prevent and reduce risk behavior by youth and young adults through examination of social-cognitive, situational and cultural risk, and protective factors. Dr. Noel has conducted outcome evaluations for several prevention efforts implemented by collaborators at the MIMH and community agencies ranging from school districts to treatment providers. For over ten years he has directed the evaluation of Girls Holla Back!, a substance abuse and HIV prevention program for African American adolescent girls and their adult female caregivers.

In 2012 he established the Social Cognition and Alcohol Studies lab in UMSL’s Department of Psychological Sciences. Studies currently underway in the lab focus on immediate situational factors (including emotional states and social interaction goals) that impact self-reported alcohol outcome expectancies versus automatic versus implicit approach toward or avoidance of alcohol. He is also conducting a psychometric investigation of implicit alcohol attitude assessments.