Biology

A research study led by Dr. Diane Lickenbrock, Professor in the WKU Department of Psychological Sciences, alongside three WKU alumni, has been officially recognized as one of the Top 10 Most Cited Papers published in 2024 by the peer-reviewed journal Infancy.

The publication, titled “Parental sensitivity and intrusiveness with mothers and fathers: Associations between parental behavioral activation/inhibition and infant temperament,” explores how parent personality traits and infant temperament interact to shape parenting dynamics during early childhood.

Using observational and parent-reported data gathered directly from families in the local community, the research team examined how maternal and paternal behaviors differ when responding to infant temperament cues:

• For Mothers: Maternal behavioral activation (a trait tied to goal-seeking and positive engagement) was linked to greater parental sensitivity and lower intrusiveness, specifically when interacting with infants who displayed low negative reactivity.

• For Fathers: Father behavioral inhibition (a trait associated with caution or avoidance of novelty) was associated with increased paternal intrusiveness, particularly when responding to infants with high negative reactivity.

Overall, findings from the present study suggest parent personality characteristics are related to parenting behaviors, though results differed depending on infant temperament characteristics and for mothers and fathers.

The results of the study could be used to inform the development of interventions for mothers and fathers that educate them on how their personalities as well as their infant’s temperament might affect their own parenting behaviors.

In addition to wide-reaching impact, the project stands out as a testament to WKU's emphasis on applied learning and high-impact student research. All three student co-authors completed degrees within the WKU Department of Psychological Sciences and have since transitioned into academic and research roles across the country:

• Lauren G. Bailes (B.S., M.S.) – Lead author; completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Vanderbilt University and is now an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Oklahoma.

• Alyssa R. Swift (B.S., M.S.) – Completed WKU’s Joint Undergraduate-Master's Program (JUMP) and is currently a doctoral student in Psychology at Pennsylvania State University.

• Logan J. Rios (M.S.) – Now serves as a Project Manager in the Department of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame.

The project relied entirely on data collected on campus at WKU and was made possible through pivotal funding support from the Kentucky Network for Biomedical Research Excellence (KY-INBRE), the WKU Ogden College of Science & Engineering (OCSE), and Vanderbilt University.

Published by Wiley, Infancy is the flagship journal of the International Congress of Infant Studies and one of the world's leading peer-reviewed publications dedicated to early child development. Out of all articles published in Infancy during 2024, the WKU team’s study earned a spot among the top 10 most cited globally, highlighting the international reach and impact of research conducted on the Hill.