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I am currently serving as the Program Director of the Human Development and Family Sciences program and I direct the Social Development Lab at the University of Houston. My research examines how emotion socialization processes are embedded within, shaped by, and convey meaning for multilayered socio-cultural contexts (culture, race/ethnicity, social class, geographic location, gender). My work addresses development from early childhood through adolescence. The impact of my work has been recognized by my election to Fellow status in the American Psychological Association and by the Distinguished Career Award from the College of Education at the University of Houston. In general, research in my lab focuses on the following questions:
- What do children learn about emotions from important people in their lives (parents, grandparents, teachers, friends)?
- How do others' emotions communicate to children what the important people in their lives care about?
- What patterns of emotional communication help to promote children's development of social skills, positive relationships, and healthy outcomes?
- What's similar and what's different about all of these processes according to the country or region families live in, and their race, ethnicity, or social class, and the gender of children and parents?
As an important complement to my research, I partner with community organizations to provide parent education and child development programming. I have delivered brief talks, half-day workshops, and 6- to 8-week groups according to organization needs. I also have experience applying student service learning to meet the goals of community organizations.
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Please download my cv for a full list of publications, or visit my profile on GoogleScholar. Selected recent publications are below.
* = student or former student co-author
*Hernandez Acton, E., Lozada, F.T., *Talley, K.E., Halgunseth, L.C., *Miller-Slough, R.L. & Dunsmore, J.C. (2025). Grandparents as overlooked agents for emotion socialization: A two-study investigation of adult grandchildren and grandmothers with young grandchildren. Current Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-025-08040-2
*Zhu, D., *Terry, J.B., *Talley, K.E., Bell, M.A. & Dunsmore, J.C. (2024). Etch the emotional life: Mother-child emotion socialization from age 3 to 6 years. Journal of Child and Family Studies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-024-02799-x
*Hernandez, E., *Perez-Rivera, M.B., Halgunseth, L.C, & Dunsmore, J.C. (2023). Patterns of Latina mothers’ emotion-related beliefs and behaviors: Associations with consejos in the family. Journal of Latinx Psychology. https://doi/10.1037/lat0000250
*Miller-Slough, R.L. & Dunsmore, J.C. (2023). Parents’ and friends’ socialization of positive emotions: Associations with adolescent emotion regulation. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2023.101579
*Zhu, D., & Dunsmore, J.C. (2022). Family functioning and emotion socialization in Chinese two-parent households: A person-centered approach. In *Zhu, D. & Dunsmore, J.C. (Eds.) Unfolding emotion socialization in Asian-heritage families, Quartet. Social Development, 32, 463 - 480. https://doi.org/10.1111/sode.12605
*Booker, J.A., *Hernandez, E., *Talley, K.E. & Dunsmore, J.C. (2022). Connecting with others: Dispositional and situational relatedness during the college transition. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 39, 198 – 220. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075211034566
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