Tracy Spinrad
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Phone: 480-727-7925
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Wilson Hall 334B TEMPE, AZ 85287-7203
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Mail code: 7203Campus: Tempe
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Tracy Spinrad is a professor in the T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics. Her research focuses on two interrelated areas: (1) family contexts that support children’s emotion-related regulation and well-being and (2) family and contextual processes involved in understanding children’s moral development, empathy-related responding, prosocial behavior. and altruism. Spinrad and her colleagues developed a theoretical model to delineate how adults socialize children’s emotions and emotion-related regulation in which we coined the term “emotion-related socialization behaviors” (ERSBs).
Spinrad's research findings from the Toddler Emotional Development project indicate that family and parents’ socialization behaviors are linked with children’s later emotional reactivity, regulatory skills, moral emotions and behavior, compliance, and maladjustment. Further, the team identified characteristics of family members (i.e., infant, mother, father), and contextual factors, such as marital quality, family-level chaos, and family structure, that predict ERSBs.
In a recent study, Project KID (Kindness in Development), Spinrad sought to understand the impact of family context and processes on young children’s outgroup empathy-related responding and prosocial behavior. We showed that nurturant parenting positively predicted, whereas restrictive parenting negatively predicted, children’s prosocial behavior toward diverse others. We also found that parents’ own attitudes predicted children’s sympathy toward outgroup versus ingroup children and that children’s regulatory skills predicted prosocial behavior toward outgroup children.
Spinrad is also the Principal Investigator of QUEST (Quality First Experiences Study). Supported by First Things First, this study aims to learn how the Quality First program—a state-funded initiative to improve the quality of childcare in over 1,300 programs in the state of Arizona, helps young children learn, grow, and thrive. This research is particularly exciting for its efforts to impact the broader community and state of Arizona's children.
Spinrad was recently awarded the inaugural Provost’s Teaching Award and has been honored with the ASU Faculty Women’s Association Outstanding Mentoring Award and the Zebulon Pearce Distinguished Teaching Award. She currently serves as the Family and Human Development doctoral program lead.
Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University
Her program of research focuses on the socio-emotional development of young children, particularly the relations of children’s self-regulation abilities (i.e., effortful control) to children’s social adjustment. Further, much of her work has examined the role that parenting plays in the development of young children’s moral development, altruism, and empathy. Dr. Spinrad has published numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and chapters on the contributions of self-regulation and parenting to children’s moral behavior and social adjustment.
Courses
2025 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| CDE 232 | Human Development |
| CDE 232 | Human Development |
| FAS 503 | Academic Professional Dvlpmnt |
| CDE 430 | Infant & Toddler Dev in Family |
| CDE 430 | Infant & Toddler Dev in Family |
| HON 498 | Pro-Seminar |
| FAS 493 | Honors Thesis |
| FAS 792 | Research |
| FAS 492 | Honors Directed Study |
2025 Summer
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| FAS 792 | Research |
2025 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| FAS 492 | Honors Directed Study |
| FAS 592 | Research |
2024 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| CDE 232 | Human Development |
| CDE 232 | Human Development |
| FAS 503 | Academic Professional Dvlpmnt |
| CDE 430 | Infant & Toddler Dev in Family |
| CDE 430 | Infant & Toddler Dev in Family |
| CDE 590 | Reading and Conference |
| HON 498 | Pro-Seminar |
2024 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| CDE 430 | Infant & Toddler Dev in Family |
| CDE 430 | Infant & Toddler Dev in Family |
2023 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| CDE 232 | Human Development |
| CDE 232 | Human Development |
| HON 294 | Special Topics |
2022 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| CDE 232 | Human Development |
| CDE 232 | Human Development |
| HON 294 | Special Topics |
| FAS 792 | Research |
2021 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| CDE 232 | Human Development |
| CDE 430 | Infant/Toddler Devel in Family |
| HON 294 | Special Topics |
| HON 494 | Special Topics |
| CDE 430 | Infant/Toddler Devel in Family |
| CDE 232 | Human Development |
| CDE 232 | Human Development |
| CDE 430 | Infant/Toddler Devel in Family |
2021 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| CDE 799 | Dissertation |
| FAS 792 | Research |
| CDE 792 | Research |
| FAS 390 | Supervised Research Experience |
| FAS 493 | Honors Thesis |
2020 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| CDE 232 | Human Development |
| CDE 430 | Infant/Toddler Devel in Family |
| CDE 232 | Human Development |
| CDE 232 | Human Development |
| CDE 430 | Infant/Toddler Devel in Family |
| CDE 430 | Infant/Toddler Devel in Family |
| CDE 792 | Research |
| CDE 799 | Dissertation |
| FAS 390 | Supervised Research Experience |