Research
Located in the intersections of developmental psychology, family studies, and cultural psychology, my research focuses on how parenting and child development are situated within and impacted by sociocultural and contextual factors. How does culture shape parenting beliefs and experiences, and influence children’s self, gender, and emotional development? I have been involved in two major strands of research that investigate sociocultural variation in parenting and child development. In one line of research, I have been interested in parental folk theories, their beliefs and concerns about childrearing. For example, in one study, we examined parents’ and grandparents’ beliefs regarding young children’s self-esteem in Taiwan and the U.S. This work revealed interesting cross-cultural variation and intergenerational variation in caregivers’ beliefs about self-esteem and related childrearing practices (e.g., use of praise and disciplinary strategies). In another study, we are examining U.S. and S. Korean parents’ emotion-related beliefs and children’s emotion socialization processes. In a second line of research, I am interested in narrative as a tool for meaning-making. More specifically, I am interested in how personal storytelling, a cultural practice that many parents engage in with their children, may socialize children into cultural and emotional selves.
Our Families and Culture Lab at St. Olaf College is currently working on two major projects:
- Parenting Beliefs and Emotion Socialization Project
This project examines mothers’ and fathers’ beliefs about preschool-aged children’s emotion in South Korean and American families, and their responses to children’s expressions of emotion. We are also examining parent-child interactions and emotion talk during storytelling activities in these two cultures.
- Affective Experiences Among College Students and Parents
This project examines factors that influence college students’ and their parents’ affective experiences, particularly their everyday experiences with worrying. Some factors we are examining include the roles of culture, gender, and the parent-child relationship.
