Alana Peyton is a Ph.D. student in the interpersonal, intergroup, and health communication department. Her research revolves heavily around family communication and its foundation in the patterns among children and in future relationships. Specifically examining how parental marital status can alter the theory-predicted communication patterns of children based on Family Communication Patterns Theory and Social Cognitive Theory. 

Her secondary area of interest investigates group formation and team productivity based on Kirton’s Adaptation Innovation Theory. Examining how individual problem-solving styles can affect the timeliness and effectiveness of team solutions. 

Her Master's Thesis, Children's Awareness of Parental Communication based on Marital Status and its placement in Family Communication Patterns Theory, explores differences in communication patterns among children from divorced and single-parent families compared with those from married-parent families.