Dr. Yelim Hong | Child Develop – Postdoctoral fellow at The University of Texas at Austin, Uniteed States
Yelim Hong is a promising postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in developmental psychology with a focus on the parent-child relationship, self-regulation, and socio-emotional development. With a solid foundation in developmental psychopathology, Yelim’s research explores the dynamic interactions within family systems and their impact on children’s behavioral outcomes. Her work contributes to understanding the links between harsh parenting, child externalizing problems, and emotional regulation. As an emerging expert in her field, Yelim’s research also examines how family dynamics influence cognitive and emotional development through a biopsychological lens.
Professional Profile:
Education:
Yelim Hong’s educational background demonstrates a strong commitment to developmental psychology, having completed a Ph.D. at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2023. Her dissertation, “The Role of Child and Household Regulation on Bidirectional Links Between Harsh Parenting and Child Externalizing Behavior Problems,” offered new insights into the interplay between family dynamics and child behavior. Prior to this, she earned a Master’s degree in the same field from the same institution, where her thesis focused on sibling differences in conduct problems and the role of effortful control. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, with honors, from the University of Iowa, where she explored the relationship between parental verbal responsiveness and language outcomes during early childhood.
Experience:
Yelim’s professional journey is marked by diverse research roles. After completing her graduate studies, she took on the role of a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Texas at Austin, where she collaborates with leading researchers in the field of developmental psychology. Her experience includes working as a professional research staff member at the University of Iowa, focusing on early childhood development and parental responsiveness. Throughout her career, Yelim has contributed significantly to various studies related to parenting, child development, and neuropsychological mechanisms, gaining recognition for her interdisciplinary approach and methodological expertise.
Research Interests:
Yelim Hong’s research interests are centered on the intersection of child development, family systems, and socio-emotional growth. Specifically, her work delves into how parenting practices, particularly harsh parenting, impact children’s emotional regulation and externalizing behaviors. She also explores how individual differences, such as self-regulation and effortful control, mediate these relationships. Yelim’s research embraces both psychological and physiological approaches, utilizing neuroimaging and other advanced techniques to uncover how family dynamics influence children’s development. Her broad interests include developmental psychopathology, cognitive development, and the biopsychosocial model of psychological well-being.
Awards:
Yelim’s dedication to research has been recognized through multiple prestigious awards. In 2024, she received the Early Career Scholars Postdoctoral Fellowship from the University of Texas at Austin and the SRCD 2025 Biennial Early Career Travel Award. She was also honored with the Center for Research on Families Methodology Scholarship in 2023. Yelim’s work in promoting diversity and inclusion within academia earned her the Graduate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Service Award at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Furthermore, she received commendation for her interdisciplinary research at the SRCD 2021 conference.
Publications:
Hong, Y., Klinginsmith, M., Quiñones-Camacho, E. L. (2024). Children’s executive functions predict their use of emotion regulation strategies. Cognition and Emotion, 1-17.🧠
Hong, Y., Deater-Deckard, K., & Bell, M. A. (2024). Similarity of Mother-Child Within-Dyad Similarity During Observed Interactions: Links with Parent and Child Effortful Control. Family Relations, 1–17.👩👧👦
Hong, Y., Bertrand, M. C., Deater-Deckard, K., Smith, L. C., & Bell, M. A. (2024). The role of mother’s and child’s self-regulation on the bidirectional effects between harsh parenting and child’s externalizing problems. Developmental Psychology, 60(3), 441-455.💡
Hong, Y., McCormick, S. A., Deater-Deckard, K., Calkins, S. D., & Bell, M. A. (2021). Household Chaos, Parenting, and child emotion regulation in middle childhood. Social Development, 30(3), 786-805.🏠
Deater-Deckard, K., Hong, Y., Bertrand, C., & Folker, A. (2024). Cognition and emotion: Family member similarity and intergenerational transmission. In Child development at the intersection of emotion and cognition (2nd ed., pp. 135-157). American Psychological Association.📘
Conclusion:
Yelim Hong is a distinguished early-career researcher whose work has significantly advanced our understanding of the developmental processes within family dynamics. Her interdisciplinary research not only bridges cognitive psychology and family systems but also brings a unique focus on self-regulation and emotion processing in children. With numerous awards, a solid publication record, and ongoing projects that continue to make an impact in the field, Yelim Hong is an ideal candidate for the Young Scientist Award. Her contributions promise to further the understanding of developmental psychopathology and the role of family environments in shaping children’s emotional and behavioral outcomes.