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Barbara J. Tinsley, Ph.D. Research Assistants Pictures Home Page
Barbara J. Tinsley Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology, Developmental Division, University of California, Riverside
Chair, Program in Human Development, University of California, Riverside
Educational History
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B.S. Child Development, 1976, University of Illinois at Urbana
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Ph.D., Educational Psychology (Human Development), 1984, University of Illinois at Urbana
Research Fellowships, Honors, and Awards
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University of Illinois James Scholar, 1973-75
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University of Illinois Graduate Fellowship, 1975-76
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Phi Beta Kappa
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Alpha Lambda Delta (Women's Honor Fraternity)
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Fellow, Summer Institute on Social Change and Individual
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Development, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Palo Alto, CA, 1984
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Young Scholar, Conference on "Emotion and Cognition in Child and Adolescent Development: A Two-Way Street," Pennsylvania
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State University Center for the Study of Child and Adolescent Development, October, 1987
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Inclusion in the International Who's Who of Professional and Business Women, 1991 & 2003 (Cambridge, England: International Biographical Center)
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Visiting Fellow, Department of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, July-August, 1991
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Nominee for “Women Who Make A Difference” Award, UC Riverside Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of Women, 1995
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Fellow, Center for Ideas and Society, University of California, Riverside, 1997
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Chair, Committee on Health Outcomes and Quality of Life, Healthy Passages Project, Centers for Disease Control and
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Prevention (CDC), 2000 –present
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Appointed Editor for Greenwood Press (Praeger Press) Health Psychology book series, January 2001
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Appointed U.S. Consultant, Government of Thailand, Official Internet Site for Adolescent Health and Sex
Recent Teaching Awards
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Professor of the Year Award, Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, 1996 and 1997
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Mentor of the Year Award, University Honors Program, University of California, Riverside, 1999
Research Interests
child health socialization in the context of culture and family; child & adolescent risk behavior, child obesity in Latinos, HIV/AIDS risk behavior in adolescence, pediatrician-parent communication
One central theme of our research program concerns how children learn to behave in health-promoting or risky ways, in the context of their families, peer groups, schools, and culture. In this research, we examine the ways in which parents' health attitudes, beliefs, and behavior shape children's health understandings and behavior. A variety of methods, including focus groups and individual interviews, naturalistic and laboratory observations of parent-child interaction, and peer, teacher and self-reports are utilized to develop our models of how children are socialized about health, from early childhood through adolescence, by these multiple factors in their environments. The role of culture, family, and social class in the development, maintenance, and intergenerational transmission of health beliefs and behaviors is a constant in these investigations. Through this research we work towards an empirical base that can be used to develop effective ways to improve the health of children and families in both minority and non-minority group families residing in the U.S. Other related studies ongoing in our laboratory are focused on: (1) parent-child communication about sex, (2) decision making about health-related issues in families with children, and (3) the relations between the health care mothers and fathers devote to their children's health relative to mothers' and fathers' self health care. Another focus of our research is on the influence of ethnicity and related cultural family and health beliefs and behaviors on the antecedents and consequences of the timing of girls' puberty.
Recent Conference Presentations
Ericksen, A.J., Markey, C.N., & Tinsley, B.J. A preliminary investigation of the relation between personality and risk behaviors in preadolescence. Paper presented at the University of California Health Conference, Lake Arrowhead, CA, December, 2000.
Markey, C.N., Markey, P.M., Tinsley, B.J., & Ericksen, A.J. Personality and risk behaviors among early adolescents. Paper presented at the annual meetings of the Society of Personality and Social Psychology, San Antonio, TX, February, 2001.
Markey, C.N., Ericksen, A.J., Kwasman, A., Otsuki, M., & Tinsley, B.J. Sociocultural influences on pubertal development among Mexican American and Euro-American girls. Paper presented at the biennial meetings of the Society for Research in Child Development, Minneapolis, MN, April 2001.
Markey, C.N., Ericksen, A.J., Markey, P.M., Pillado, O., & Tinsley, B.J. Personality and family determinants of preadolescents’ participation in health-compromising and health-promoting behaviors. Paper presented at the biennial meetings of the Society for Research in Child Development, Minneapolis, MN, April 2001.
Ericksen, A.J., Markey, C.N., Otsuki, M., & Tinsley, B.J. A longitudinal examination of preadolescent boys’ body satisfaction. Paper presented at the biennial meetings of the Society for Research in Child Development, Minneapolis, MN, April 2001.
Tinsley, B.J. Grandparents and family law. Paper presented at the annual meetings of the American Bar Association, Chicago, IL, August, 2001.
Tinsley, B.J. Issues in the Use of Psychological Tests in Child Custody Evaluations. Presentation at the 5th Annual Family Law Developments and Strategies Conference, University of California, Riverside, March, 2002.
Tinsley, B.J. Child Custody Evaluations: New Perspectives and Issues. Presentation for Lexis-Nexis, Inc., San Diego, April, 2002
Tinsley, B.J. Child Development Perspectives on Child Custody Evaluations. Paper presented at the Conference on Marital Agreements, Los Angeles, CA, June, 2002
Markey, C. N., Markey, P. M., Tinsley, B. J., & Ericksen, A. J. (2003). Personality and pubertal development as predictors of girls' health: Developmental Trends. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Los Angeles, CA
Otsuki, M., Tinsley, B., & Haskard, K. (2003). Preadolescents’ Anticipation of Cigarette Smoking: The Roles of Pubertal Timing, Gender, and Maternal Monitoring. Paper presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research on Child Development, Tampa, FL, April.
Pillado, O., Tinsley, B., & Ericksen, A. (2003). The influence of parental monitoring and mother-adolescent communication on preadolescents' anticipated health risk behaviors. Paper presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Tampa, FL, April.