Research

Sleep and Children's development

What we study

Between ages 2 and 4, kids stop napping, start resisting going to sleep, and may need comfort after waking during the night. With sleep itself changing, it's difficult to understand how different sleep behaviors influence daytime behaviors and vice versa. This challenge presents opportunities to quantify continuity and change that happens on multiple time scales. Parenting, sleep, and daytime behavior are the core research foci of Dr. Staples. While Dr. Staples is primarily interested in typical development, much of our work in SEED Lab considers atypical development, parent psychopathology, and sociodemographic risk. We measure sleep with questionnaires, daily sleep diaries, and actigraphy (watch-like devices). We observe parents and children interacting at home or in the lab. Parents also complete a variety of questionnaires about their wellbeing, stress, parenting practices, and early childhood adversity. And, parents tell us about their child's behavior and temperament. It takes a lot of people to collect, code, enter, and analyze data. One of the core principles of our work is that science is done better when it is done collaboratively and transparently.

How we work

Our research in the Self-regulation, Early Experience, and Development (SEED) lab is a collaborative endeavor that allows us to study typical and atypical development within the broader frames of bioecological systems theory and developmental psychopathology. Our research uses multiple methods (e.g., laboratory observation, self-report), with multiple informants (e.g., caregivers, children, teachers), and a host of research designs including experimental, cross-sectional, and longitudinal to understand the dynamic interplay between person, process, context, and time. Given the variety of methods, measures, assessment waves, and research interests, we partner with clinical psychologists, pediatric neuropsychologists, dieticians, and nurse practitioners to better understand families and the contexts and communities in which they live. For more information, check out our lab website.

What we value

In simplest terms, we value our students and participants—their ideas, their time, and their talents. As a group of scientists, clinical psychologists, and educators, we value community, collaboration, and transparency. Our research aims to better the lives of children and families. As part of this effort, we work as a community to better the lives of our students by providing opportunities for involvement in research. Therefore, we commit to training, advising, and mentoring students in all aspects of doing research from idea generation through dissemination. Our work, our community, is better when done collaboratively with people with diverse backgrounds, rich experiences, and varied aspirations. We value diversity and strive for equity and inclusion of all members, especially those from underrepresented groups. To make this work, we believe it is necessary to treat each other with respect so that we can hear each other’s ideas. More information about working with us can be found here.

current projects

Collaborative research is at the heart of how we do science

Rigidity and Risk

Sleep, Inhibition, and Performance

Publications

Ordered from newest to oldest, alphabetically within year

2024

Huth-Bocks, A., Franz, S., Berglund, P. A., Schroeder, H. M., Staples, A. D., Raghunathan, T., Warschausky, S., Taylor, H. G. H., LeDoux, G., Dieter, L., Rosenblum, K., O’Neill, R. L., & on behalf of The PediaTrac Consortium. (2024). Measuring early relational health using PediaTrac in a diverse sample of infant-caregiver dyads. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics. https://doi.org/10.1097/DBP.0000000000001248

Lasutschinkow, P. C., Bo, J., Warschausky, S., Raghunathan, T., Berglund, P., Huth-Bocks, A., Taylor, H. G., Staples, A. D., Cano, J., Doux, G. N. L., Lukomski, A., Larson, J. C. G., Lajiness-O’Neill, R., & Consortium, P. P. (2024). Convergent validity between the motor domain of PediaTracTM and Ages and Stages in term and preterm infants at 2, 4, 6, and 9 months of age. Assessment. https://doi.org/10.1177/10731911241241144

Levick, S., Staples, A. D., Warschausky, S., Huth-Bocks, A., Taylor, H. G., Gidley Larson, J. C., Peterson, C., Lukomski, A., & Lajiness-O’Neill, R. (2024). Caregiver-reported infant motor and imitation skills predict M-CHAT-R/F. Child Neuropsychology, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/09297049.2024.2304378

2023

Aho, K. M., Daugherty, M., Staples, A. D., Esposito, E., & Lawler, J. M. (2023). Sleep disturbance, emotion lability/negativity, and behavioral difficulties in a sample of internationally adopted children. Adoption Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926755.2023.2217815

Lajiness-O’Neill, R., Warschausky, S., Huth-Bocks, A., Taylor, H. G., Berglund, P., Staples, A. D., Lukomski, A., Brooks, J., Cano, J., Raghunathan, T., & PediaTrac Project Consortium. (2023). Caregiver-reported development in term and preterm infants from birth to nine months of age: Psychometrics of the PediaTracTM social/communication/cognition domain. Psychological Assessment, 35(7), 589–601. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0001235

Warschausky, S., Gidley Larson, J. C., Raghunathan, T., Berglund, P., Huth-Bocks, A., Taylor, H. G., Staples, A. D., Lukomski, A., Barks, J., Lajiness-O’Neill, R., & Consortium, the P. P. (2023). Longitudinal caregiver-reported motor development in infants born at term and preterm. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.15816

2022

Hoyniak, C. P., Bates, J. E., Camacho, M. C., McQuillan, M. E., Whalen, D. J., Staples, A. D., Rudasill, K. M., & Deater-Deckard, K. (2022). The physical home environment and sleep: What matters most for sleep in early childhood. Journal of Family Psychology. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/fam0000977

Lajiness-O’Neill, R., Raghunathan, T., Berglund, P., Huth-Bocks, A., Taylor, H. G., Staples, A. D., Brooks, J., Lukomski, A., Gidley Larson, J. C., & Warschausky, S. (2022). Caregiver-reported newborn term and preterm motor abilities: Psychometrics of the PediaTrac(TM) Motor domain. Pediatric Research, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-022-02312-4

Lobermeier, M., Staples, A. D., Peterson, C., Huth-Bocks, A. C., Warschausky, S., Taylor, H. G., Brooks, J., Lukomski, A., & Lajiness-O’Neill, R. (2022). Cumulative risk, infant sleep, and infant social-emotional development. Infant Behavior and Development, 67, 101713. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2022.101713

Prakash, K., Tu, J., & Staples, A. (2022). Impact of neighborhood quality and recent life stressors on sleep problems: A longitudinal study of adolescents at risk for maltreatment. Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk, 13, 1–22. https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk/vol13/iss1/7/

Sperber, J. F., McQuillan, M. E., Hoyniak, C. P., Staples, A. D., Rudasill, K. M., Molfese, V. J., & Bates, J. E. (2022). Sleep and negative affect across toddlerhood in the context of stress. Affective Science, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42761-021-00094-2

2021

Deater-Deckard, K., Chary, M., McQuillan, M., Staples, A., & Bates, J. E. (2021). Mothers’ sleep deficits and cognitive performance: Moderation by stress and age. PLOS One, 0241188. https:/doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0241188

Hoyniak, C. P., Bates, J. E., McQuillan, M. E., Albert, L. E., Staples, A. D., Molfese, V. J., Rudasill, K. M., & Deater-Deckard, K. (2021). The family context of toddler sleep: Routines, sleep environment, and emotional security induction in the hour before bedtime. Behavioral Sleep Medicine, 19(6), 795–813. https://doi.org/10.1080/15402002.2020.1865356

McQuillan, M. E., Bates, J. E., Staples, A. D., & Deater-Deckard, K. (2021). A 1-year longitudinal study of the stress, sleep, and parenting of mothers of toddlers. Sleep Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2021.08.006

McQuillan, M. E., Bates, J. E., Staples, A. D., Hoyniak, C. P., Rudasill, K. M., & Molfese, V. J. (2021). Sustained attention across toddlerhood: The roles of language and sleep. Developmental Psychology, 57, 1042-1057. https://doi.org/ 10.1037/dev0001197

Staples, A. D., Hoyniak, C., McQuillan, M. E., Molfese, V. J., & Bates, J. E. (2021). Screen use before bedtime: Consequences for nighttime sleep in young children. Infant Behavior and Development. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2020.101522

2020

Carr, M. M., Saules, K. K., Ellis, J. D., Staples, A. D., Ledgerwood, D. M., & Loverich, T. M. (2020). Development and validation of the recognizing addictive disorders scale: A transdiagnostic measure of substance-related and other addictive disorders. Substance Use and Misuse, 55(13), 2194–2204. https://doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2020.1797806

Hoyniak, C. P., Bates, J. E., McQuillan, M. E., Albert, L. E., Staples, A. D., Molfese, V. J., Rudasill, K. M., & Deater-Deckard, K. (2020). The family context of toddler sleep: Routines, sleep environment, and emotional security induction in the hour before bedtime. Behavioral Sleep Medicine, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/15402002.2020.1865356

Hoyniak, C. P., Bates, J. E., McQuillan, M. E., Staples, A. D., Petersen, I. T., Rudasill, K. M., & Molfese, V. J. (2020). Sleep across early childhood: Implications for internalizing and externalizing problems, socioemotional skills, and cognitive and academic abilities in preschool. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13225

2019

McQuillan, M. E., Bates, J. E., Staples, A. D., & Deater-Deckard, K. (2019). Maternal stress, sleep, and parenting. Journal of Family Psychology, 33(3), 349–359. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000516

Staples, A. D., Bates, J. E., Petersen, I. T., McQuillan, M. E., & Hoyniak, C. (2019). Measuring sleep in young children and their mothers: Identifying actigraphic sleep composites. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 43(3), 278–285. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025419830236

2018

Brick, T. R., Gray, A. L., & Staples, A. D. (2018). Recurrence quantification for the analysis of coupled processes in aging. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 73(1), 134–147. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbx018

Petersen, I. T., Hoyniak, C. P., Bates, J. E., Staples, A. D., & Molfese, D. L. (2018). A longitudinal, within-person investigation of the association between the P3 ERP component and externalizing behavior problems in young children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 59(10), 1044–1051. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12975

Staples, A. D., & Bates, J. E. (2018). Parenting infants and toddlers. In M. R. Sanders & A. Morawska (Eds.), Handbook of parenting and child development across the lifespan (pp. 585–607). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94598-9_26

Staples, A. D., & Lalonde, L. (2018). Sleep in early childhood: The role of bedtime routines. International Journal of Birth and Parent Education, 6(1), 17–21.

2016

Boker, S. M., Staples, A. D., & Hu, Y. (2016). Dynamics of change and change in dynamics. Journal for Person-Oriented Research, 2(1–2), 34–55. https://doi.org/10.17505/jpor.2016.05

Petersen, I. T., Hoyniak, C. P., McQuillan, M. E., Bates, J. E., & Staples, A. D. (2016). Measuring the development of inhibitory control: The challenge of heterotypic continuity. Developmental Review, 40, 25–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2016.02.001

2015 and older

Hoyniak, C. P., Petersen, I. T., McQuillan, M. E., Staples, A. D., and Bates, J. E. (2015). Less efficient neural processing related to irregular sleep and less sustained attention in toddlers. Developmental Neuropsychology, 40(3), 155–66.

Petersen, I. T., Bates, J. E., & Staples, A. D. (2015). The role of language ability and self-regulation in the development of inattentive–hyperactive behavior problems. Development and Psychopathology, 27(01), 221–237. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579414000698

Staples, A. D., Bates, J. E., and Petersen, I. T. (2015). IX. Bedtime routines in early childhood: Prevalence, consistency, and associations with nighttime sleep. Monographs of the Society Research Child Development, 80(1), 141–59.

Staples, A. D., and Bates, J. E. (2013). Developmental science in the study of sleep. In A. R. Wolfson and H. E. Montgomery-Downs (Eds.), The oxford handbook of infant, child, and adolescent sleep and behavior (pp. 24–33). New York, NY: Oxford University Press

Lansford, J. E., Staples, A. D., Bates, J. E., Pettit, G. S., and Dodge, K. A. (2013). Trajectories of mothers' discipline strategies and interparental conflict: Interrelated change during middle childhood. Journal of Family Communication, 13(3), 178–195. https://doi.org/10.1080 /15267431.2013.796947

Staples, A. D., and Bates, J. E. (2011). Children's sleep deficits and cognitive and behavioral adjustment. In Sleep and development: Familial and socio-cultural considerations (pp. 133–163). New York: Oxford University Press

Bates, J. E., Goodnight, J. A., Fite, J. E., & Staples, A. D. (2009). Behavior regulation as a product of temperament and environment. In S. L. Olson & A. J. Sameroff (Eds.), Biopsychosocial Regulatory Processes in the Development of Childhood Behavioral Problems (pp. 116–143). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511575877.007

Goodnight, J. A., Bates, J. E., Staples, A. D., Pettit, G. S., & Dodge, K. A. (2007). Temperamental resistance to control increases the association between sleep problems and externalizing behavior development. Journal of Family Psychology, 21(1), 39–48. https://doi.org/10.1037 /0893-3200.21.1.39

Presentations

2023

Freeman, S. E., Staples, A. D., Loverich, T. M., & Lawler, J. M. (2023, March 23-25). Parent emotion regulation mediates the relation between parent trauma history and child emotion regulation [Conference presentation]. In S. E. Freeman (chair), Developmental Pathways Toward Emotional Risk and Resilience: The Role of Parent Characteristics. [Symposium]. Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Meeting, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Hannapel, M., Staples, A. D., & Lawler, J. M. (2023, March 23-25). Child screen time, household chaos, and child emotion regulation [Poster presentation]. Society for Child Development, Salt Lake City, UT, United States.

Jain, M., Prakash K., Staples A. D., Lawler J. M. (2023, March 23-25). Network analysis of the association between symptoms of parental psychopathology and children’s executive functioning [Conference presentation]. Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT, United States.

Jain, M., Staples A. D., Lawler J. M. (2023, March 23-25). Indirect association of parent depression with child emotion lability through child cognitive flexibility [Conference presentation]. Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT, United States.

Jassim, N., Lawler, J. M., & Staples, A. D., (2023, February 23-25). PTSD endorsement among diverse populations during COVID-19 pandemic [Poster presentation]. Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) 2023 Convention, Atlanta, GA, United States.

Levick, S., Lukomski, A., Staples, A. D., Brooks, J., Huth-Bocks, A., & Lajiness-O’Neill, R. (2022, October13-14). Maternal anxiety predicts greater concern about infant sleep at newborn and two months [Poster presentation]. Michigan NAPNAP, Novi, MI, USA.

Lock, J., Lawler, J., & Staples, A. (2023, March 23-25). Does social support moderate the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and impulsivity in parents [Poster presentation]? Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT, United States.

Neis, E., Hannapel M., Staples A. D., & Lawler J. M. (2023, April 20-22). Parent sleep, household chaos, and child emotional regulation [Poster presentation]. Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, IL, United States.

Reznik, J.D., Hannapel, M., Staples, A.D., Lawler, J. (2023, April 20-22). Income as a moderator: Parental anxiety and child behavior problems [Poster presentation]. Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, IL, United States.

2022

Daldin, E., McGee, B., Schmitt, A., Staples, A., & Lawler, J. (2022, May 26-29). Relationships between parent mental health, COVID-19 stress, and child behavior problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. [Poster presentation]. Association for Psychological Sciences, Chicago, IL.

Freeman, S. E., Lawler, J. M., Staples, A. D. (2022, May 9-11). Pathways from parental adverse childhood experiences to child emotion regulation: The role of parent emotion regulation and emotion socialization [Poster presentation]. Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health, online. https://mi-aimh.org/2021conference-2/

Hannapel, M., Freeman, S. E., Staples, A. D., & Lawler, J. (2022, May 26-29). Parenting sense of competence mediates COVID stress and child behavior in the presence of the moderation of high parental ACEs. [Poster Presentation]. Association for Psychological Science, Chicago, IL, United States.

Hannapel, M., Reznik, J., Hicks, A., Staples, A., & Lawler, J. (2022, April 21-23). Parental adversity in childhood and child emotion regulation: The role of parental depression [Paper Presentation]. Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, IL, United States.

Hicks, A. M., Lang, N., Lajiness-O’Neill, R., Huth-Bocks, A., & Staples, A. D. (2022, February 2-5). Preliminary psychometrics of a novel measure of early relational health: Relationships with sociodemographic characteristics [Paper presentation]. International Neuropsychological Society Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA.

Hicks, A. M., Staples, A. D., Brooks, J. & Lajiness-O’Neill, R. (2022, November 3-6). The impact of sociodemographic factors on infant sleep [Poster presentation]. Society for Behavioral Sleep Medicine Annual Meeting, Washington DC, United States.

Hicks, A. M., Staples, A. D., & Lajiness-O’Neill, R. (2022, October 12-15). Caregiver anxiety and sleep in the postpartum period in term and preterm infants [Poster presentation]. National Academy of Neuropsychology Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, United States.

Les, R, Aho, K., Forstner, C., Lawler, J., Staples, A. D. (2022, May 26-29). Race as a moderator between parental adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and child emotional lability [Poster Presentation]. Association for Psychological Science, Chicago, IL, United States.

Neenan, A., Byrd, M., Hoodin, F. & Staples, A. D. (2022, April 7-9). Understanding activism and coping among parents of children with cancer [Poster Presentation]. Society of Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference, Phoenix, AZ, United States.

Prakash, K., Tu, J., & Staples, A. D. (2022, November 9-12). Impact of neighborhood quality on sleep problems: A Longitudinal study of adolescents at risk for maltreatment [Poster Presentation]. International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA, United States.

Reznik, J.D., Hicks, A., Schultz, K., Uerling, J., Nur, H., Bryant, G., Staples, A.D., & Lawler, J. (2022, May 26-29). Parent impulsivity in child emotion regulation: The moderating role of age [Poster Presentation]. Association for Psychological Science, Chicago, IL, United States.

Thomas, C. J., Jassim, N., Barrett, C., Palmer, M., Lawler, J. M., Staples, A. D., (2022, May 26-29). How does sleep and SES influence anxiety in diverse populations? [Poster session]. Association for Psychological Science Annual Conference, Chicago, IL, United States.

2021

Aho, K., Daugherty, M., Staples, A. D., & Lawler, J. (2021, April 7-9). The role of sleep and affect in the relationship between preadoptive risk and problem behavior. In A. D. Staples (Chair), Sleep and behavioral adjustment in early and middle childhood [Symposium]. Society for Research in Child Development Virtual Biennial Meeting.

Daugherty, M., Staples, A. D., Lawler, J. (2021, April 7-9). Preexisting parenting stress and challenges parenting young children during a pandemic [Poster presentation]. Society for Research in Child Development Virtual Biennial Meeting.

Hicks, A., Bisignano, N., Swick, C., Staples, A. D., Lajiness-O’Neill, R. (2021, April 7-9). Effects of caregiver psychopathology, term status, and socio-environmental risk factors on infant duration of orienting [Poster presentation]. Society for Research in Child Development Virtual Biennial Meeting.

Krell, S., Schultz, K., Aho, K., Staples, A. D., Lawler, J. (2021, April 7-9). The moderating role of socioeconomic status on parent adverse childhood experiences and child behavior [Poster presentation]. Society for Research in Child Development Virtual Biennial Meeting.

Lobermeier, M., Hicks, A., Staples, A. D., Lajiness-O’Neill, R. (2021, April 7-9). Concurrent and longitudinal relations between maternal depression and infant sleep [Poster presentation]. Society for Research in Child Development Virtual Biennial Meeting.

Neenan, A., Byrd, M., Hoodin, F., & Staples, A. D. (2021, April 9-12). Activism, hope, and resilience among parents of children with cancer [Poster presentation]. Society of Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference.

Schmitt, A. P., Freeman, S. E., Daugherty, M., Morgan, C., Staples, A. D., & Lawler, J. M. (2021, May 26-27). Moderating role of maternal affect in the relationship between maternal depression and toddler emotion regulation [Poster presentation]. Virtual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science.

Staples, A., Hicks, A., Bates, J. (2021, April 7-9). Noncompliance and negative affect during toy prohibition: effects of sleep onset latency and temperament. In A. D. Staples (Chair), Sleep and behavioral adjustment in early and middle childhood [Symposium]. Society for Research in Child Development Virtual Biennial Meeting.

2020

Aho, K, Daugherty, M., Staples, A. D., & Lawler, J. (2020, May). Sleep disturbance and dysregulated negative affect mediate the relationship between pre-adoptive risk and problem behavior [Paper presentation]. Association for Psychological Science Conference, Chicago, IL. Conference cancelled)

Daugherty, M., Sieja, J., Staples, A. D., & Lawler, J. (2020, June). Receptive vocabulary as a protective factor for parental stress [Poster presentation]. Association for Psychological Science Conference, Chicago, IL.

Hicks, A., Daugherty, M., …, Staples, A. D., & Lawler, J. (2020, June). Parent stress and sleep: A transactional relation with depression [Poster presentation]. Association for Psychological Science Conference, Chicago, IL.

McQuillan, M. E., Bates, J. E., (2020, November 6). Parent sleep and parenting behavior in the context of challenging child behavior: Findings from community and clinic samples [Poster presentation]. Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine Annual Scientific Conference.

Staples, A. D., Hicks, A., & Bates, J. E., (2020, May). Noncompliance and negative affect during toy prohibition: Effects of sleep and temperament [Poster presentation]. Association for Psychological Science Conference, Chicago, IL. (Conference cancelled)

Staples, A. D. (2020, May). Links between sleep and problem behaviors in early and middle childhood [Symposium]. Association for Psychological Science Conference, Chicago, IL. (Conference cancelled)

2019

Aho, K, Daugherty, M., Staples, A. D., Esposito, E., & Lawler, J. (2019). Sleep disturbance predicts internalizing and externalizing behavior beyond pre-adoptive history and risk factors [Poster presentation]. Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA.

Bates, J. E., Hoyniak, C. P, & Staples, A. D. (2019). Multiple facets of sleep are linked to preschoolers’ school readiness [Paper presentation]. Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Conference, Baltimore, MD.

Carr, M., Ellis, J., Staples, A., & Saules, K. (2019). The role of transdiagnostic assessment in identifying addiction syndrome [Poster presentation].Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction Annual Conference, Providence, RI.

Goldstein, S., Staples, A. D., Flores, A.M., Swick, C., Reed, R., Brooks, J., Lukomski, A., Huth-Bocks, A., & Lajiness-O’Neil, R. (2019a). Maternal anxiety and sleep predict greater concern about infant sleep at newborn and two months [Poster presentation]. International Neuropsychological Society Annual Meeting, New York City, NY.

Goldstein, S., Staples, A. D., Flores, A.M., Swick, C., Reed, R., Brooks, J., Lukomski, A., Huth-Bocks, A., & Lajiness-O’Neil, R. (2019b). Infant sleep predicts maternal self-efficacy at newborn and two months [Poster presentation]. Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Conference, Baltimore, MD.

Hoyniak, C. P., Bates, J. E., McQuillan, M. E., Molfese, V., Rudasill, K., & Staples, A. D. (2019). The association between executive function and sleep in toddlerhood is moderated by socioeconomic status [Paper presentation]. Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Conference, Baltimore, MD.

McQuillan, M. E., Bates, J. E., Staples, A. D., & Deater-Deckard, K. (2019). Maternal stress, sleep, and parenting: Processes of stability and change across toddlerhood [Poster presentation].Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Conference, Baltimore, MD.

McQuillan, M. E., Moreman, L., Staples, A. D., & Bates, J. E. (2019). Sleep, sustained attention, and the development of attention problems across toddlerhood [Poster presentation].Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Conference, Baltimore, MD.

Page, J., & Staples, A. D. (2019a). Maladaptive drinking and perfectionism in graduate students [Poster presentation]. Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction Annual Conference, Providence, RI.

Page, J. L., & Staples, A. D. (2019b). Maladaptive perfectionism and problem drinking in college students [Poster presentation]. Association for Psychological Science Conference, Washington, DC.

Petersen, I. T., Hoyniak, C. P., Staples, A. D., Bates, J. E., & Molfese, D. (2019). Nonlinear association between N2 ERP amplitudes and dysregulated behavior in young children [Paper presentation]. Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Conference, Baltimore, MD.

Staples, A. D., Goldstein, S., Flores, A.M., Swick, C., Reed, R., Brooks, J., Lukomski, A., Huth-Bocks, A., & Lajiness-O’Neil, R. (2019). Effects of feeding method on maternal sleep satisfaction and concern for infant sleep [Poster presentation]. Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Conference, Baltimore, MD.

Staples, A. D., McQuillan, M. E., & Bates, J. E. (2019). The role of acute vs. typical sleep efficiency on observed maternal behavior [Poster presentation]. Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Conference, Baltimore, MD.

2018

Page, J. L., & Staples, A. D. (2018). Maladaptive perfectionism and problem drinking in college students [Poster presentation]. Midwestern Psychological Association Annual Conference, Chicago, IL.

Solomon, K. & Staples, A. D. (2018). Relation between anxiety and the perception of expressed emotion [Poster presentation].Midwestern Psychological Association Annual Conference, Chicago, IL.

Taylor, R. & Staples, A. D. (2018). Differences in Engagement in the PASAT-C [Poster presentation]. Association for Psychological Science Annual Conference, San Francisco, CA.

2017

Hoyniak, C. P., Bates, J. E., McQuillan, Staples, A. D., M. E. Rudasill, K. M, Molfese, D. L. & Molfese, V. M. (2017). Socio-economic status moderates the association between sleep variability and cognitive development in toddlers [Poster presentation]. Pediatric Sleep Medicine Conference, Amelia Island, FL.

Hoyniak, C. P., Bates, J. E., Molfese, V., Rudasill, K., & Staples, A. D. (2017). Socio-economic status moderates the association between sleep variability and cognitive development in toddlers [Paper presentation]. Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Conference, Austin, TX.

Petersen, I. T., Bates, J. E., & Staples, A. D. (2017). Heterotypic continuity of inhibitory control in early childhood [Poster presentation]. Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Conference, Austin, TX

Staples, A. D., McQuillan, M. E., & Bates, J. E. (2017). Parenting in context: Situation and child effects [Poster presentation]. Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Conference, Austin, TX.

Theses & Dissertations

The following are completed theses and dissertations (descending order by date) for which I had distinct pleasure of either chairing or serving as a committee member. There is so much interesting research happening in our department. I've also included the committee chair with links for colleagues at EMU.

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Aho, K. (2024). Family context and executive function in preschool children. [Doctoral dissertation, Eastern Michigan University]. Chair: Dr. Lawler

Prakash, K. (2024). Differences in post-traumatic stress disorder symptom presentation across race/ethnicities: A moderated nonlinear factor analysis (MNLFA) approach. [Doctoral dissertation, Eastern Michigan University]. Chair: Dr. Koch

Hicks, A. (2023). The role of caregiver anxiety, sleep, distress, and emotion socialization behaviors on child behaviors. [Doctoral dissertation, Eastern Michigan University]. Chair: Dr. Staples

Rinna, K. (2023). How much would you pay for sleep? The behavioral economics of college students’ sleep. [Master's thesis, Eastern Michigan University]. Chair: Dr. Waltz

Levick, S. (2022). Infant imitation: Detecting risk in the first year with PediaTrac. [Doctoral dissertation, Eastern Michigan University]. Chair: Dr. Lajiness-O'Neill

Swick, C. (2022). The role of caregiver-reported emerging social attention in predicting duration of orienting and social communication. [Doctoral dissertation, Eastern Michigan University]. Chair: Dr. Lajiness-O'Neill

Freeman, S. E. (2022). Pathways from parental adverse childhood experiences to child emotion regulation: The role of parent emotion regulation and emotion socialization. [Master's thesis, Eastern Michigan University]. Chair: Dr. Lawler

Tu, J. (2022). Predicting changes in nonlinear indices of heart rate variability by anxiety sensitivity dimensions. [Master's thesis, Eastern Michigan University]. Chair: Dr. Koch

Hicks, A. (2021). Parental control: The role of maternal depression, sleep, and executive function. [Master's thesis, Eastern Michigan University]. Chair: Dr. Staples

Lobermeier, M. (2021). The role of infant sleep in the relationship between cumulative risk and infant social-emotional development. [Master's thesis, Eastern Michigan University]. Chair: Dr. Lajiness-O'Neill

Zohr, S. (2021). Effects of an educational intervention on knowledge of decision-making capacity. [Master's thesis, Eastern Michigan University]. Chair: Dr. Drossel

Gallihugh, B. (2021). An exploratory model of Christian privilege: The development of a scale to measure the attitudinal constituents of Christian privilege. [Master's thesis, Eastern Michigan University]. Chair: Dr. Jefferson

Dean, S. (2020). Romance for Boomers: Associations between secure attachment and commitment as mediated by investment and relationship satisfaction. [Master's thesis, Eastern Michigan University]. Chair: Dr. Staples

Herb, K. (2020). Core features and conceptualization of addictive-like eating: A network analytic approach. [Doctoral dissertation, Eastern Michigan University]. Chair: Dr. Saules

Van Putten, R. (2020). A skills training needs assessment for caregivers of older adults with cognitive loss. [Doctoral dissertation, Eastern Michigan University]. Chair: Dr. Waltz

Neenan, A. (2019). Activism as a coping strategy among parents of children with cancer. [Doctoral dissertation, Eastern Michigan University]. Chair: Dr. Byrd

Garg, M. (2018). The stages of grief as a model for understanding how White adults accommodate knowledge of racial privilege and microaggressions: Initial scale development. [Doctoral dissertation, Eastern Michigan University]. Chair: Dr. Jefferson

Vriesman, M. (2018). The influence of patient age and schizophrenia diagnosis on providers’ decision making. [Doctoral dissertation, Eastern Michigan University]. Chair: Dr. Maragakis

Taylor, R. (2018). Explaining individual difference in distress tolerance in the PASAT-C. [Honor's thesis, Eastern Michigan University]. Chair: Dr. Staples

Carr, M. (2018). Recognizing addictive disorders through transdiagnostic assessment. [Doctoral dissertation, Eastern Michigan University]. Chair: Dr. Saules

Wilson, S. (2017). Parent-child differences in psychological distress following childhood cancer treatment. [Master's thesis, Eastern Michigan University]. Chair: Dr. Peterson

Kentor, R. (2017). Illness-related information disclosure from parents to their children with cancer. [Doctoral dissertation, Eastern Michigan University]. Chair: Dr. Hoodin

Phillips, D. (2017). The effect of reading-based scanning habits on WAIS-IV processing speed index performance. [Doctoral dissertation, Eastern Michigan University]. Chair: Dr. Lauterbach

Guyon-Harris, K. (2016). Identifying risk for atypical parenting behavior using prenatal profiles of interpersonal trauma experiences and PTSD symptoms. [Doctoral dissertation, Eastern Michigan University]. Chair: Dr. Huth-Bocks

Join our team

Undergraduate Student Opportunities

The SEED lab is looking for undergraduate research assistants (1 - 3 course credit hours) to help on various studies. We need students to recruit participants, collect data from families with young children, transcribe videos, enter data, code videos, and help with other study tasks. Lab meetings are Fridays from 1-2:30 p.m. and attendance is required for lab members. Learn more or complete an application. New research assistants join the lab at the start of each term (FA, WT, SU).

SEED Lab application

McNair Scholars

Are you a McNair Scholar looking to do research in psychology? Are you interested in children's behavior problems? Are you interested in how early adversity may shape parenting practices? Are you interested in parents and children between birth and age 4? If your answer to any of those questions is "yes", let's talk. Information about how to connect with me is on the home page.

Graduate Student Opportunities

I will be reviewing applications for Fall 2026 (i.e., apply Fall 2025). For FA26, students will be co-mentored by me and Dr. Lawler. As co-directors of the SEED Lab, we have be informally and successfully co-mentoring students since 2019.

More information about the psychology graduate programs (and how to apply) at Eastern can be found here. Students who are interested in early childhood development, sleep, communication, emotion, and/or parenting are encouraged to apply. An interest in quantitative methods is not required, though it is valued. I am looking for a student who is clear about how graduate training in clinical psychology will serve their future goals, is curious about psychological science, and is open to new experiences whether it be working with people or learning about a new topic in psychology.

Current graduate students

If you would like to get involved in research with me, let's talk. Information about scheduling a meeting can be found on the home page.

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