Human Development & Culture Concentration

The Human Development, Culture, & Learning Sciences specialization offers two concentrations: Human Development and Culture and Learning Sciences.

Human Development and Culture is an academic area of concentration in HDCLS with the purpose of training graduate and undergraduate students in the theories of developmental, social, and personality psychology to prepare them for teaching and research. Threaded through each of these topics and the others represented in HDCLS is a strong commitment to exploring the impact of culture on human development and outcomes. Students are trained to be skilled consumers of research information and to be skilled creators of research information. It is expected that many of the doctoral graduates will teach in small colleges, teach and conduct research in universities, or work in human service delivery organizations. It is also expected that PhD students will be able to teach others how to conduct research, as well as to engage in the process of research.

Advanced course work in developmental, personality, and social psychology is available for students who plan to pursue teaching and research. Topics include child and adolescent development; social psychology and educational outcomes; family relationships; adulthood and aging; cognitive and social development in children; gender, race, and ethnic influences on academic achievement; the influence of culture and personality on behavior; theory and assessment; and a variety of special topics covered in seminars reflecting student and faculty needs and interests. Opportunities for research are available through facilities on campus, as well as in connection with the research activities of individual faculty members. Course work, practica, and other experiences are planned to meet individual student needs as dictated by interests and career plans.

Course work and research activities are geared to meet individual needs, qualifications, and objectives. On completion of core requirements, students may plan the remainder of their academic preparation through individual consultation with faculty members whose primary research interests and activities are in the student’s area of interest.

Faculty interests and specializations in developmental psychology cover the lifespan of development--from cognitive, social, and personality development in children and adolescents, to issues of adulthood and aging. Social psychology is represented by interests in: attitudes and social cognition, interpersonal relations and group processes, social power, birth order effects, and the influence of family resources on educational success. In line with developing faculty and student research interests, current areas of faculty research are described below:

Germine Awad – Attitude development and expression in the following areas: prejudice and discrimination, ethnic and racial identity (with a focus on Arabs and African Americans), acculturation, immigration, and attitudes toward affirmative action beneficiaries; the psychological antecedents of minority standardized test performance as well as issues related to culturally relevant research methodology.; the relationship between racial identity and body image for African American women.  (Dr. Awad is also associated with the Center for Middle Eastern Studies and the Department of African and African Diaspora Studies, College of Liberal Arts) put in link

Keisha Bentley – The processes by which young people understand their cultural selves and how this meaning making influences relationships, academic achievement, well-being and a sense of social responsibility. resiliency and cultural competence in the context of 1) the processes of racial socialization, 2) community vs. individual investment in the Black community, 3) risk and protective factors in coping with racism, 4) academic and social outcomes and 5) class and upward mobility.   (Dr. Bentley is also associated with the Center for African and African American Studies and the Department of African and African Diaspora Studies, College of Liberal Arts) put in link

Toni Falbo – For over 30 years, Toni Falbo has practiced her brand of social psychology in the Educational Psychology department. Falbo began her research career examining gender influences and social power. Soon thereafter, she began her work on sibling status effects on social and academic outcomes. Falbo expanded her only-child research to China, and continues to work on this topic with Chinese colleagues. During the 1990s, Falbo conducted research on the quest for high school diplomas among Latino youth. She also examined the influence of ethnic identity on achievement and mental health in Guatemala and China. Most recently she has been examining the origins of accuracy of self-knowledge within American secondary schools and the influence of these self-views on educational and health outcomes. (Dr. Falbo is a Faculty Research Associate of the Population Research Center)

Kristin Neff – the psychological health benefits of self-compassion; self-kindness, feelings of interconnectedness, and mindfulness.

Marie-Anne Suizzo – Research on the effects of home and family backgrounds including parent-child relationships, parental education level, racial/ethnic socialization, and academic socialization, on at-risk children's achievement, especially during key school transitions (kindergarten, middle school, and college). Dr. Suizzo takes a developmental, cultural perspective and studies these questions among Mexican-origin, African American, Chinese American, and European American ethnic groups as well as Taiwanese, Korean, and French cultures.

Richard Valencia – intellectual and academic development of racial/ethnic minority children; psychometric evaluation of intelligence and achievement tests; social and psychological foundations of minority schooling; minority school failure and success; teacher testing and prospective minority teachers.