Current Center Projects
The school counseling action for marginalized communities experiences (SAFE) project
Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Queer Theory will be used as foundational frameworks to understand how biases, racism, gender, sexuality, intersection of identities, and power may impact access to counseling services provided within US public schools. Numerous studies have shown that work needs to be done to better support BIPOC and LQBTQ+ youth (APA, 2017; Assari & Caldwell, 2018; Lindsey et al., 2006; The State of America’s Children, 2021; Trevor Project, 2021). Numerous barriers exist for LQBTQ+ and BIPOC youth seeking mental health services in school, such as a lack of representation in our current school counselor demographics (ASCA, 2021) and school counselors reporting low levels of efficacy and competence in working with BIPOC and LQBTQ+ student populations (Shi & Doud, 2017). This study aims to better understand BIPOC and LQBTQ+ student experiences with reaching out for help in schools, their perspectives on school counseling services, and the effectiveness of school counselors during high school.
Faculty Associates: Shaun Sowell & Tina Du Rocher Schudlich
Funding year: 2022
The Intergenerational transmission of beliefs about systemic inequality
The discipline of psychology is under-going a rapid shift towards understanding the importance of structural issues in development and psychological functioning. It is becoming increasingly clear that the psychological focus on individual functioning without attention to systems is inadequate, and understanding the multiple mechanisms by which systemic inequities are maintained is central to growing calls in the field. The overarching goal of this new program of research is to understand how parent-child conversations about systemic inequity can both perpetuate and disrupt the intergenerational transmission of beliefs that serve to maintain the status quo of race- and wealth-based disparities in the United States.
In the current project we utilize the ecologically valid and common context of parent-child conversations to target a place where such ideologies about systems may be transmitted. In this qualitative and descriptive study, we aim to address the following questions: 1) How do parents discuss systemic inequities (if they do)? 2) What role do children play in these conversations? 3) How much “match” is there across the assessments (i.e., pre-conversation survey, conversation, post-conversation)?
Faculty Associates: Kate McLean & Antonya Gonzalez
Funding year: 2022
Assessing Parental Perceptions of Cultural Barriers to Timely and Accurate Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder in BIPOC Children
Numerous studies have indicated significant disparities in accurate and timely autism spectrum disorder (ASD) for BIPOC children in the US (Blacher et al., 2019; Daniels & Mandell, 2013; Imm et al., 2019; Magaña et al., 2013; Mandell et al., 2009; Zuckerman, et al., 2017). This study aims to better understand why BIPOC children with autism do not receive a timely and accurate autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. Of particular interest is better understanding how ASD diagnoses are associated with family culture and the ways in which providers diagnosing children develop culturally collaborative relationships with families.
Critical Race Theory (CRT) will be used as a foundational framework for understanding how biases, racism, intersection of identities, and power may impact the ability to obtain childhood ASD diagnoses within the US. Critical Race We hope to give voice to lived experiences of historically and currently marginalized populations and work to understand potential impact of identity and culture in families obtaining ASD diagnoses for their children, while bringing attention to and interrogating power structures, bias, and the status quo within the mental health system.
Faculty Associate: Tina Du Rocher Schudlich
Funding year: 2022
Do children experience happiness from following cultural norms?
A central component of culture is the shared norms among group members, which are passed along and modified across generations (Boyd & Richerson, 2008). Cultural (or “conventional”) norms are socially constructed standards for behavior that are specific to a cultural group and known and practiced by all its members. By age three, children rapidly learn norms (Rakoczy et al., 2008; Schmidt, Butler, Heinz & Tomasello, 2016), rigidly adhere to them (Riggs & Young, 2016), and enforce them on other group members (Schmidt, Rakoczy & Tomsello, 2012). Although several studies provide evidence of young children’s norm adherence and enforcement, the literature offers very few explanations for these behaviors. In the current study, we test the hypothesis that children do not treat norm-following as obligatory, but as a positive emotional experience. We examine children’s emotions upon performing an arbitrary cultural norm as well as their beliefs about emotions surrounding normative behavior. If children experience happiness when adhering to norms, this study would provide a novel mechanism to explain children’s curious but ubiquitous norm adherence and enforcement.
Faculty Associates: Annie Riggs & Annie Fast
Funding year: 2022
Children’s understanding of cultural norms in pretend play
A central component of culture is the shared norms among group members, which are passed along and modified across generations (Boyd & Richerson, 2008). Cultural (or “conventional”) norms are socially constructed standards for behavior that are specific to a cultural group and known and practiced by all its members. By age three, children rapidly learn norms (Rakoczy et al., 2008; Schmidt, Butler, Heinz & Tomasello, 2016), rigidly adhere to them (Riggs & Young, 2016), and enforce them on other group members (Schmidt, Rakoczy & Tomsello, 2012). Although several studies provide evidence of young children’s norm adherence and enforcement, the literature offers very few explanations for these behaviors. In the current study, we test the hypothesis that children do not treat norm-following as obligatory, but as a positive emotional experience. We examine children’s emotions upon performing an arbitrary cultural norm as well as their beliefs about emotions surrounding normative behavior. If children experience happiness when adhering to norms, this study would provide a novel mechanism to explain children’s curious but ubiquitous norm adherence and enforcement.
Faculty Associates: Annie Fast & Annie Riggs
Funding year: 2022
Filipinx-American Histories and Subjective Well-Being
We see a general lack of understanding regarding physical and mental health, help-seeking and underutilization of health services, and accurate and positive knowledge of Filipinx history and culture among Filipinx and Filipinx-Americans even though they are the second largest Asian subgroup, second largest immigrant group, and one of the fastest growing populations in the United States. The idea that Filipinx and Filipinx-American people exist on the margins among Asian Americans is prevalent as members often describe themselves as the “forgotten Asian Americans” and “invisible minorities.” A history of colonization by Spain and the United States has left the Philippines in a unique position within the global context, with experiences more similar to Latinx and African Americans than other Asian groups. Unique struggles with racism, colorism, and acculturation also contribute to marginalization of Filipinx people. However, research shows that a rich and complex history exists that Filipinx people simply do not know about. Filipinx culture, psyche, and behavior is shaped by history and intercultural influences, such as transmission of family stories, intergenerational trauma, and Colonial Mentality. As such, knowledge of family and cultural group history is a large part of that. The current study examines the relationship between knowledge of personal family history, knowledge of cultural group history, Colonial Mentality (CM), ideal affect vs. actual affect, and Subjective Well-Being (SWB) in order to better understand how unique family and cultural histories contribute to the identities, personal well-being, and emotions of Filipinx and Filipinx-American people; increase diverse representation in psychological science; and uplift and amplify the voices of the Filipinx community.
OSF Link for "Filipinx-American Histories and Subjective Well-Being"
Key personnel: Jonna Alonso, Christie Scollon
Funding year: 2022