Clinical Psychology and Developmental Science will hold a colloquium featuring Alice Schermerhorn PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Vermont. The topic of Dr. Schermerhorn’s talk will be Family-related Stress and Child Development: Vulnerability and Underlying Mechanisms.

It is clear that family-related stress predicts children’s internalizing and externalizing problems, as well as poorer academic and social functioning. However, the association between family stress and child adjustment is quite complex, and many important questions are just beginning to be answered. This talk will address interrelations between family stress, child temperament, and child functioning, with a focus on the questions: which children are at greatest risk in the context of family stress, and what are the mechanisms underlying risk? Findings will be presented suggesting child temperament traits have implications for understanding children’s risk in the context of family stress. Regarding mechanisms underlying risk, recent findings suggest the significance of neurophysiological mechanisms. A common theme emerging from several of these findings is that emotional and cognitive processes are also particularly important for understanding child development.

For more information on Dr. Schermerhorn, visit uvm.edu/~psych/?Page=faculty/Schermerhorn.php&SM=facmenu.html

The colloquium takes place in Tobin 423 from 1:00-2:15pm.

All are welcome.