University of Iowa · PsychologyParenting and Child Development Lab
Grazyna Kochanska · Iowa City, Iowa
Research Focus
Dr. Grazyna Kochanska's lab at the University of Iowa focuses on understanding the early parent-child relationships and how they influence children's socioemotional development. They explore why some children develop positive social behaviors while others may struggle with antisocial tendencies, looking closely at the interactions between temperament and parenting. Through extensive longitudinal studies, the lab aims to inform effective parenting interventions that can promote healthy development and prevent negative outcomes for children.
parent-child relationshipschild developmentsocioemotional growthtemperamentinternal representation
Research Aims
3AIM 01Examine the link between children's internal working models and parent-child relationship quality.
AIM 02Investigate how parents' perceptions of their child influence parenting behavior.
AIM 03Integrate family dynamics into models of child development.
Skills the Lab Values
longitudinal study designstructural equation modelingobservational methodsdata analysistheory of mind assessments
Output against the department
Publications179top 38% of dept.112th of 296
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations24ktop 8% of dept.25th of 296
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.