Category: Faculty Partner Research

Ellen Ernst Kossek – Paid leave can help employees manage illness and family responsibilities, but workplace culture can influence whether they actually use it. A six-month study found that supervisor training increased supportive behaviors and leave use, while also improving job satisfaction and organizational commitment among employees.

Susan South – Attachment is often discussed in terms of early relationships with caregivers, but close relationships continue to matter throughout adulthood. Purdue research examines how experiences with romantic partners and other important relationships may influence attachment patterns, offering a broader view of how people adapt to relationship experiences across the lifespan.

Annabelle Atkin – Feeling positive about a Multiracial identity can be an important part of adolescent development. This study examines factors associated with Multiracial pride among Black-White and Latiné-White teens, finding stronger pride among youth who received Multiracial socialization from caregivers and those attending predominantly racially diverse schools.

Ximena Arriaga – Our closest relationships may influence not only how we feel, but who we become. This study examines whether romantic partners can support personal growth by affirming each other’s ideal selves. The findings link partner affirmation with relationship quality, life satisfaction and lower depression, with attachment security strengthening this pathway.

Susan South – What makes some relationships easier to return to than others? Purdue faculty expertise on attachment and relationships helps illuminate how trust and security can shape our closest connections. The conversation offers insight into why supportive relationships can provide a sense of acceptance, connection and freedom to show up as ourselves.

Sooyeon Jeong – Understanding a relationship requires more than recognizing individual behaviors. Researchers examine whether AI systems can make sense of what happens between interaction partners, testing their ability to recognize social cues, errors and patterns in human-robot conversations. The work highlights challenges in teaching AI to interpret the complex dynamics of social interaction.

Kim Updegraff – What happens when a younger child faces a conflict with a peer and an older sibling gets involved? Interviews with Black sibling pairs show that older siblings are often consulted and their advice can strongly influence younger siblings’ choices. The findings suggest sibling relationships could offer a new pathway for violence prevention.

Ellen Ernst Kossek – Sending reminders, coordinating schedules, managing devices and helping relatives navigate technology can all become part of family life. This research examines these often-unrecognized responsibilities as family digital labor, showing how technology can both empower and add pressure to families while taking different forms across social, cultural and economic contexts.

Sharon Christ – Why do some preschoolers pick up new words more easily than others? Researchers examined individual differences in word learning among children with and without developmental language disorder. The findings point to age and nonword repetition ability as important factors and suggest retrieval practice may help reduce learning disadvantages for some children.

Kimberly Updegraff – Sibling relationships are often a child’s first lessons in closeness and conflict, shaped deeply by family life. A new study followed Latino/a sibling pairs and their caregivers over time to explore how these bonds shift across middle childhood and into early adolescence. The findings show how parents’ warmth and conflict ripple into sibling relationships, with notable differences by gender and family immigration background. This research supports culturally responsive approaches to strengthening family life in Latino communities.