Psychology major explores parent-child dynamics through research

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Growing up in Qatar, within a close-knit and vibrant Indian community, Jui Baliga developed a deep appreciation for family culture, where traditions and shared values played an important role in shaping her. That contrast sparked her interest in working with children and families and shaped her curiosity about how relationships influence development.

Baliga’s interests eventually led her to Penn State, where the now fourth-year Schreyer Scholar will graduate this spring with a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from the College of the Liberal Arts and a minor in human development and family studies from the College of Health and Human Development.

“When I discovered psychology, I knew this was what I wanted to do with my life,” she said.

Baliga was encouraged by many people to attend school in the United States. After hearing rave reviews about Penn State’s Department of Psychology, she decided to accept her offer and move away from home.

“It was a simple Google search — best psychology programs in the U.S., and Penn State was at the top of the list,” she said. “And they have a very large international student community.”

During her undergraduate years, Baliga has served as a member of Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology. Through the organization, she met some of her closest friends, heard a variety of interesting guest speakers, and received helpful information on careers in the field and applying to graduate school.

Additionally, Baliga is this year’s event planner for U-BELONG, a club for psychology students that allows them to interact and connect. And she served as last year’s president for Lift the Mask, a student organization working to actively increase awareness, find solutions and reduce the stigma around mental health disorders.

Through the Schreyer Honors College, Baliga was encouraged and motivated to participate in lab research, leading to her presentation at this year’s Liberal Arts Undergrad Research Expo, which will take place Friday, April 17, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the University’s Hintz Family Alumni Center.

Baliga’s research project, “Parental Differences in Child-Centered Versus Parent-Centered Interaction Patterns During Structured Play,” explores how specific parenting behaviors may help reduce child behavioral problems.

“I have to give a big thank you to Schreyer because research is a big part of my field, and without their thesis component, I would have never explored that opportunity,” she said. “Research boosts you in your applications to graduate school and puts you ahead.”

For her project, Baliga consulted data from her honors thesis adviser, Erika Lunkenheimer, professor of psychology and director of the Parent-Child Dynamics Lab. Using behavioral video coding to analyze parent-child interactions, she discovered that both mothers and fathers provided similar levels of support but mothers used more directive strategies in how they guided tasks.

Baliga also credited her experience in the Parent-Child Dynamics Lab with shaping her academic path. Working under the mentorship of Lunkenheimer and alongside graduate students, she gained hands-on experience in data collection, behavioral coding and working directly with families. Those experiences not only deepened her understanding of parent-child interactions but also strengthened her research skills and helped clarify her future goals, she said.

Baliga also contributed to a group project being presented at the expo, “Second-by-Second Hostility Analysis: Father Alcohol Use and Its Influence on Relationship Quality and Transition to Parenting,” which uses second-by-second behavioral coding to examine how conflict unfolds in real time within couples, particularly in the context of fathers’ alcohol use during the transition to parenthood.

After graduation, Baliga said she plans to attend graduate school in counseling psychology, with the goal of contributing to parenting research and working with children and families.

“Penn State’s research programs and resources, especially within the College of the Liberal Arts, have played a huge role in shaping my experience,” she said. “One of the most impactful supports for me was the Career Enrichment Network. Since my first semester, I’ve consistently worked with my career coach, Dayna Wenger, who has been an incredible mentor in helping me set and achieve goals at every stage, whether that was finding and joining a research lab, applying for internships, or learning how to write a CV (curriculum vitae) and research abstracts. And programs like Schreyer Honors College and Health Promotion and Wellness have encouraged me to take on leadership roles and grow beyond the classroom.”