Lois Wladis Hoffman Collegiate Professor Emerita of Psychology
She/her
About
As of May 2026, Dr. Volling is the Lois Wladis Hoffman Collegiate Professor Emerita of Psychology at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on early social and emotional development, parent-child interaction, and family relationships. She conducted extensive research on the role of fathers and children's development, and has played a major role in advancing research on father-child relationships. She is also the Principal Investigator of the Family Transitions Study (FTS), a longitudinal investigation examining changes in family functioning and the firstborn’s adjustment after the birth of a second child, which received funding from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the Fetzer Foundation. She was the recipient of an Independent Scientist award (K02) from NICHD and is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and the American Psychological Association (Div 7, 43, and 51). She was an Associate Editor for the journal, Psychology of Men and Masculinities. She plans on taking some time to refocus her efforts and and figure out her next steps, perhaps writing a book (or two). She is always looking for colleagues interested in collaborating on any number of projects devoted to fathering or to sibling relationships. Feel free to drop a line.
Dr. Volling was able to time several of her final projects to coincide with her retirement. These papers, special issues, and chapters are but one means of passing the torch and supporting the next generation of young scholars wanting to conduct research on fathers and/or siblings.
Volling, B. L. & Palkovitz, R. (2021). Fathering: New perspectives, paradigms, and possibilities. Psychology of Men and Masculinities, Special issue on Fathering, 22(3), 427-432. https://doi.org/10.1037/men0000354
Volling, B. L. & Bornstein, M. H. (2025). Not just father involvement! Contemporary perspectives on fathering and father-child relationships. Parenting: Science and Practice: Special issue on Contemporary Perspectives on Fathering and Father-Child Relationships, 25(4), 353-366 https://doi.org/10.1080/15295192.2025.2555648
Deneault, A-A, Feldman, J. S., Aytuglu, A., Bendel-Stenzel, L., Olofson, E, Dunithen, R., Schoppe-Sullivan S., & Volling, B.L. (2025). Best practices for recruiting and retaining fathers in parenting research: Insights from fathering researchers. Parenting: Science and Practice: Special issue on Contemporary Perspectives on Fathering and Father-Child Relationships, 25(4), 604-630. https://doi.org/10.1080/15295192.2025.2509515
Volling, B. L., Beyers-Carlson, E., Tan, L., Rosenberg, L., & Gonzalez, R. (2026). You need to take turns! Sibling sharing and the emergence of conscience in early childhood. Journal of Personal and Social Relations, special issue on sibling relationship processes across the lifespan.43(1), 375-402. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075251316316
Volling, B. L., & Cabrera, N. (2025). Loving, laughing, and learning: How fathers contribute to young children’s development. Annual Review of Developmental Psychology, 7, 141-165. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-devpsych-121020-034300
Volling, B. L., Howe, N., & Kramer, L. (2025). Sibling relationships across childhood and adolescence: Recommendations for parents and healthcare practitioners. In M. Bornstein & P. Shah (Eds), APA Handbook of Pediatric Psychology, Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, and Developmental Science: Developmental science and developmental origins of risk and resilience in childhood and adolescence. Vol 1. (pp. 267-287. Washington, DC, American Psychological Association.
