Research
Interests
My research focuses on the interplay between children’s motivational and interpersonal processes. For example, I study the effects of particular parenting styles on children’s motivation, the formation of children’s first impressions of adults and how those impressions influence subsequent engagement with the adults, and the role that motivationally relevant constructs play in the development of children’s relationships.
Publications
Gurland, S. T. & Grolnick, W. S. (under revision). Perceived threat, parental control, and children’s achievement orientations.
Gurland, S. T. & Grolnick, W. S. (2003). Children’s expectancies and perceptions of adults: Effects on rapport. Child Development, 74, 1212-1224.
Grolnick, W. S., Gurland, S. T., DeCourcey, W., & Jacob, K. (2002). Antecedents and consequences of mothers’ autonomy support: An experimental investigation. Developmental Psychology, 38, 143-155.
Grolnick, W. S., Gurland, S. T., Jacob, K., & DeCourcey, W. (2002). The development of self-determination in middle childhood and adolescence. In A. Wigfield (Ed.), The Development of Achievement Motivation (pp. 147-172). San Diego: Academic Press.
Grolnick, W. S. & Gurland, S. T. (2001). Mothering: Retrospect and prospect. In J. P. McHale & W. S. Grolnick (Eds.), Retrospect and Prospect in the Psychological Study of Families (pp. 5-33). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Carpenter, K. M. & Gurland, S. T. (2000). Talking to family and friends about graduate school and research in psychology. Newsletter of the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students, 12, 13.
Grolnick, W. S., Kurowski, C. O., & Gurland, S. T. (1999). Family processes and the development of children’s self-regulation. Educational Psychologist, 34, 3-14.
Gurland, S. T. & Carpenter, K. M. (1999). Interpersonal dynamics in the graduate student - faculty advisor relationship. Newsletter of the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students, 11, 21-22.
Sparrow, S. S. & Gurland, S. T. (1998). Assessment of gifted children with the WISC-III. In A. Prifitera & D. H. Saklofske (Eds.), WISC-III clinical use and interpretation: Scientist-practitioner perspectives (pp. 59-72). San Diego: Academic Press.
Presentations
Gurland, S. T. (2003, April). Enhancing children’s experience of adults. Poster presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Tampa, Florida.
Gurland, S. T. (2001, April). Children’s stereotypes of adults. Poster presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Gurland, S. T. & Grolnick, W. S. (2000, August). Adult styles of interaction and children’s creativity. Poster presented at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Washington, DC.
McConnell, M. C., Gurland, S., Lauretti, A., Zaslavsky, I., & McHale, J. P. (2000, July). Context-related shifts in coparenting behavior during infancy. Poster presented at the biennial meeting of the International Society for Infant Studies, Brighton, England.
Gurland, S. T. (2000, February). Effective rapport-building with children: A review of research findings. Presented at Integration à Innovation, February 4, 2000, Worcester, Massachusetts.
Fish, K., Gershenson, I., DeCourcey, W., Berkman, J., McConnell, M., & Gurland, S. (2000, July). Infant Temperament and Family Group Interaction at One Year. Poster presented at the biennial meetings of the International Society for Infant Studies, Brighton, England.
Ciottone, R. A., Gurland, S. T., Iselin, M. G., & Olsen, N. (1999). Overview of Child Assessment. Presented to third-year psychiatry fellows at University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Grolnick, W. S. & Gurland, S. T. (1999, April). Women and mothering: Retrospect and prospect. Presented at Interiors: Retrospect and prospect in the psychological study of the family, April 9-11, 1999, Worcester, Massachusetts.
Gurland, S. T. (1999, April). A developmental perspective on adult-child rapport: The role of expectations and autonomy support. Poster presented at the Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Meeting, Albuquerque, New Mexico.