Underwood graduated from Wellesley College in 1986 and received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Duke University in 1991.[2] She joined the faculty at Reed College in 1991, where she received tenure.[6] From 1998 to 2018, she had various roles at the University of Texas at Dallas.[6] In 2008, she was named to an Endowed Chair, as Ashbel Smith Professor.[6][7] From 2015 to 2018, she served as dean of graduate studies and associate provost.[2]
As part of a longitudinal study, Underwood provided free BlackBerrys to ninth-graders in exchange for permission to study the teens' text messages.[12] On average, each student sent 1,321 text messages per month (about 43 per day).[13] Underwood and her colleagues found that less than 2% of text messages had antisocial content (such as rule-breaking, drug use, physical aggression, or property crimes.)[12] Many of the text messages included teens "building each other up" and providing support.[13]
Underwood, Marion K. (April 10, 2003). Social Aggression among Girls (The Guilford Series on Social and Emotional Development). The Guilford Press. ISBN978-1572308657.
Underwood, Marion K.; Rosen, Lisa H., eds. (September 19, 2013). Social Development: Relationships in Infancy, Childhood, and Adolescence. The Guilford Press. ISBN978-1572308657.
^Society for Research in Child Development (2019). "Lunch with the Leaders Biographies". 2019 Biennial Meeting Program. Retrieved on December 13, 2018.