Professor
Ph.D. Penn State
Area: Developmental

Contact Information

Email: volling@umich.edu
Psychology Office: 2026 East Hall
Psychology Phone: 734-764-7379

Research and Teaching Interests

My research focuses on the social and emotional development of infants and young children and the role of family relationships in facilitating children’s developmental outcomes. I am particularly interested in the role of fathers, the quality of sibling relationships, and parent-infant attachment. My current research focuses on changes in the family and the older child’s adjustment after the birth of a second child (the Family Transitions Study), postpartum depression and infant attachment, the development of young children’s prosocial behavior, and sibling jealousy.

 

Representative Publications

• Volling, B. L., Kolak, A., & Blandon, A. Y. (2009). Family subsystems and the development of self-regulation. In S. L. Olson & A. J.  Sameroff (Eds.), Biopsychosocial regulatory processes in the development of childhood behavioral problems. (pp. 238-257).  NY: Cambridge University Press
• Blandon, A. Y., & Volling, B. L. (2008). Parental gentle guidance and children’s compliance within the family: A replication study.  Journal of Family Psychology, 22, 355-366.
• Rauer, A. J., & Volling, B. L. (2007). Differential parenting and sibling jealousy: Developmental correlates of self-esteem, attachment, and jealousy in young adults’ romantic relationships. Personal Relationships, 14, 495-511.
• Volling, B. L. (2005). The transition to siblinghood: A developmental ecological systems perspective and directions for future research. Journal of Family Psychology, special issue on sibling relationships, 19, 542-549.
• McElwain, N. L., & Volling, B. L. (2005). Preschool children’s interactions with friends and older siblings: Relationship specificity and joint contributions to problem behavior. Journal of Family Psychology, special issue on sibling relationships, 19, 486-496.

 

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