Group Disparities in Development
This interdisciplinary program leads cutting-edge research in the study of ethnic and cultural diversity in human development. Integrating social, cognitive, and developmental theories and using multiple methods (demographic, clinical and experimental, longitudinal, observational, qualitative and quantitative), the program aims at uncovering basic underlying mechanisms that give rise to ethnic and cultural variation in developmental processes, functions, and outcomes. The program encourages study of diverse populations across and within cultures, including sexual minorities, immigrants, and underprivileged groups, and the policy implications of such scientific inquiries. Members of the program have conducted research on cultural issues in relation to academic achievement, learning disability, risky decision making, language and spatial cognition, multilingualism, emotion cognition, self and identity, autobiographical memory, environmental stress, and mental health and resilience.
On this page
Diversity and Culture faculty members in Human Development are currently involved in research in the following areas:
- cross-linguistic differences in infants’ spatial categorization
- racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic sources of achievement gaps
- sex differences in cognition
- racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic differences in representations of social situations, values, and risky decision making
- racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic differences in learning disabilities
- cultural differences in risk reduction and risky decision making
- the development of multilingualism across the life-span
- the role of ethnic socialization and perceived discrimination in ethnic identity development
- the environment of childhood poverty the development of self and identity in middle childhood: a study of immigrant Chinese children
- the development of sexual and gender minorities
- the under representation of women in science
- intervening to help poor and minority students to reason scientifically
- developmental mechanisms for cultural variations in self, autobiographical memory, emotion knowledge, and other aspects of social cognition
- HD2610: DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
- HD3840: GENDER AND SEXUAL MINORITIES
- HD4200: LABORATORY ON RISK AND RATIONAL DECISION MAKING
- HD4440: PARENTING & CHILD DEVELOPMENT
- HD4520: CULTURE AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
- HD6020: RESEARCH IN RISK AND RATIONAL DECISION MAKING
- HD6220: BLACK COMMUNITIES & POLITICS & HEALTH HD6330: LANGUAGE ACQUISITION SEMINAR
- DEA1500: INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
- PAM3360: EVOLVING FAMILIES: CHALLENGES TO FAMILY POLICY
- PAM3370: RACIAL AND ETHNIC DIFFERENTIATION
- PAM4620: THE WELFARE OF AMERICA'S CHILDREN
- PAM6210: POVERTY, PUBLIC POLICY AND THE LIFE COURSE
Charles Brainerd, Professor
Human Development
Marianella Casasola, Associate Professor
Human Development
Stephen Ceci, Professor
Human Development
Gary Evans, Professor, DEA/HD
Design and Environmental Analysis
Human Development
Barbara Lust, Professor
Human Development
Anthony Ong, Associate Professor
Human Development
Valerie Reyna, Professor
Human Development
Qi Wang, Associate Professor
Human Development
Ritch Savin-Williams, Professor
Human Development
Wendy M. Williams, Professor
Human Development
Rachel Dunifon, Associate Professor
Policy Analysis and Management
Daniel Lichter, Professor
Policy Analysis and Management
Sponsored Talks
Robyn Fivush, Youth Development Lecture, September 2009:
Family Stories and Adolescent Identity and Well Being.
Related Departments and Centers
Institute for the Social Sciences
Asian American Studies Program
Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research
Center for Behavioral Economics and Decision Making
Center for the Study of Economy and Society
Center for the Study of Inequality
Cornell Institute for Translational Research on Aging