Amy Kolak
Professor of Psychology
Education
Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University
B.A. in Psychology, University of Michigan
Research Interests
One line of my research is devoted to better understanding the role that individual characteristics and family dynamics, including parenting and coparenting behavior, play in toddlers’ and preschoolers’ early self-regulatory processes using a multi-method approach (e.g., administering surveys, conducting child assessments, and using observational paradigms). A second line of my research program is aimed at examining individual and family factors associated with emerging adults’ attitudes, behavior, and well-being.
Courses Taught
- PSYC 224: Lifespan Development
- PSYC 375: Topics in Child and Adolescent Development
- PSYC 469: Advanced Developmental with Lab
- FYSE 132: First-Year Seminar
Selected Publications
Undergraduate student coauthors are marked with an asterisk.
Kolak, A. M., Panasko, O. D.*, & Short, S. D. (2025). Mental health in emerging adulthood: Anti-mattering mediates the effects of attachment to mothers and fathers. Family Relations: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Studies.
Kolak, A. M., & Dean, C. H.* (2023). Fathers’ stimulation of toddlers’ cognitive development contributes to children’s executive function skills at five years of age. Early Child Development and Care, 193(4), 519-530.
Ross, L. T., Owensby, A.*, & Kolak, A. M. (2023). Family predictability and psychological wellness: Do personal predictability beliefs matter? Journal of Child and Family Studies, 32, 3299-3311.
Kolak, A. M. & Volling, B. L. (2022). Avoiders and Amenders: An examination of guilt and shame for toddlers and their older siblings. Cognition and Emotion, 36(5), 805-820.
Kolak, A. M., Van Wade, C.*, & Ross, L. T. (2018). Family unpredictability and psychological distress in early adulthood: The role of family closeness and coping mechanisms. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 27(12), 3842-3852.
Ross, L. T., Zeigler, S.*, Kolak, A. M., & Epstein, D.* (2014). Sexual hookups and alcohol consumption among African American and Caucasian college students: A pilot study. Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied, 149(6), 582-600.
Kolak, A. M., Frey, T.*, Brown, C.*, & Vernon-Feagans, L. (2013). Minor illnesses, temperament, and toddlers’ social functioning. Early Education and Development, 24(8), 1232-1244.
Kolak, A. M. & Volling, B. L. (2013). Coparenting moderates the association between firstborn children’s temperament and problem behavior across the transition to siblinghood. Journal of Family Psychology, 27(3), 355-364.
Kolak, A. M. & Volling, B. L. (2011). Sibling jealousy in early childhood: Longitudinal links to sibling relationship quality. Infant and Child Development, 20(2), 213-226.