B.A. University of Toronto
Ph.D Stanford University

Email: grusec@psych.utoronto.ca
Phone: (416) 978-7610
Fax: (416) 978-4811
Address: Department of Psychology
100 St. George St.
University of Toronto
Toronto, ON M5S 3G3

Dr. Grusec is retired and no longer accepting new students.

Research interests

In our lab my we study determinants of parenting and the impact of different kinds of parenting on children’s social and emotional outcomes. We want to know what makes parents effective in achieving their socialization goals. We are also interested in what makes some parents more effective than others at this task. Lack of knowledge about how to successfully help children learn to function well in society is one variable that determines parenting effectiveness. But there are other reasons for problematic parenting that are not so straightforward.
Thus we are particularly interested in cognitions (both conscious and unconscious) and emotions that interfere with the ability of parents to apply their knowledge of how to raise children.

With respect to effective parenting, it is evident that this does not involve simply the application of specific strategies and techniques, or the adoption of specific styles of interaction. Outcomes for children depend on the interaction of parenting strategies and features of children (e.g., temperament, age, sex, mood). As well, children are operating in different domains relevant to socialization, that is, they are behaving in a given way for any number of reasons, and different parental responses are appropriate in different domains. For example, children could be acting badly because they are distressed and need comforting or because they lack knowledge and need information or because they are showing off and need to be ignored. My students and I are trying to identify the conditions that promote parents’ knowledge in these various areas and the successful application of that knowledge.

Recent Publications

Grusec, J. E. (2019). Principles of Effective Parenting: How Socialization Works. New York: Guilford Press.

Grusec, J.E. (in press). Domains of socialization: Implications for parenting and the development of children’s moral behavior and cognitions. In Padilla-Walker, L., Laible, D., & Carlo, G. (Eds.). Handbook of Parenting and Moral Development.

Grusec, J.E. & Davidov, M. (2019). Parent socialization and children’s acquisition of values. In M. Bornstein (Ed.), Parenting. Vol. 3, Routledge.

Kil, H., Grusec, J. E., & Chaparro, M. (2018). Maternal disclosure and adolescent prosocial behavior: the mediating roles of adolescent disclosure and coping. Social Development, 27, 652-664.

Grusec, J.E., Danyliuk, T., Kil, H., & O’Neill, D. (2017). Perspectives on discipline and child outcomes. International Journal of Behavioural Development, 41, 1-7.

Sherman, A., Grusec, J. E., & Almas, A. N. (2017). Mothers’ knowledge of what reduces distress in their adolescents: Impact on the development of adolescent approach coping. Parenting: Science and Practice, 17, 187-199.

Grusec, J.E. (2017). A domains-of-socialization perspective on children’s social development In N. Budwig, E. Turiel, & P. Zelazo (Eds.), New perspectives on human development. University of Cambridge Press.

Grusec, J.E., Danyliuk, T., Kil, H., & O’Neill, D. (2017). Perspectives on discipline and child outcomes. International Journal of Behavioural Development, 41, 1-7.

Mageau, G. A., Sherman, A., Grusec, J.E., Koestner, R., & Bureau, J.S. (2016).     Different ways of knowing a child and their relations to mother-reported autonomy support. Social Development, 25, 1-15.

Chaparro, M. P., & Grusec, J. E. (2016). Neuroticism moderates the relation between parenting and empathy and between empathy and prosocial behavior. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 62, 105-128.

Grusec, J.E., & Davidov, M. (2015). Analyzing socialization from a domain-specific perspective. In J.E. Grusec & Hastings, P.D. (Eds.). Handbook of socialization, 2nd ed. NY: Guilford Press.

Grusec, J.E., & Hastings, P.D. (Eds.) (2015). Handbook of Socialization, 2nd edition. NY: Guilford Press.

Grusec, J.E., (2015). Family relationships and development. In R. Scott & S. Kosslyn (Eds.), Emerging trends in the social and behavioral sciences. Wiley Online Library.

Grusec, J. E., Saritaş, D., & Daniel, E. (2014). The nature of effective parenting: Some current perspectives. In S. H. Landry & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), Wellbeing in children and families (Vol. 1), 157-177.  Wiley-Blackwell.

Grusec, J. E., Chaparro, M. P., Johnston, M., & Sherman, A. (2014). The development of moral behavior from a socialization perspective. Handbook of moral development (2nd ed.). (pp. 113-134) Psychology Press, New York, NY.

Grusec, J.E. (2014). Parent-child conversations from the perspective of socialization theory.  In C. Wainryb and H. Recchia, (Eds.) Talking about right and wrong: Parent-child conversation as contexts for moral development. Cambridge University Press.

Chaparro, M. P., & Grusec, J. E. (2014). Parent and adolescent intentions to disclose and links to positive social behavior. Journal of Family Psychology, 29, 49-58.

Saritas, D., Grusec, J.E., & Gençöz, T. (2013). Warm and harsh parenting as mediators of the relation between maternal and adolescent emotion regulation. Journal of Adolescence, 36, 1093-1101.

Vinik, J., Johnston, M., Grusec, J.E., & Farrell, R. (2013). Understanding the learning of values using a domains-of-socialization framework. Journal of Moral Education, 42, 475-493.

Johnston, M., Sherman, A., & Grusec, J.E. (2013). Predicting moral outrage and religiosity with an implicit measure of moral identity. Journal of Research in Personality, 47, 209-217.

Grusec, J.E., Chaparro, M.P., Johnston, M., & Sherman, A. (2013). Social development and social relationships in middle childhood. In R.M. Lerner, A. Easterbrooks, & J. Mistry (Eds.), Handbook of Psychology, Vol 6, Developmental Psychology, Wiley.

Grusec, J. E. (2012). Socialization and the role of power assertion. Human Development, 55, 52-56.

Fleming, A., Grusec, J.E., & Haley, D. (Eds.) (2012). Arc of Parenting: From Epigenomes to Ethics. Special issue of Parenting: Science and Practice.

Grusec, J.E. (2012). Domains of social knowledge and socialization theory. Essay review. Human Development 54, 343-347.

Davidov, M., Grusec, J.E., & Wolfe, J.L. (2012). Mothers’ knowledge of their children’s evaluations of discipline: The role of type of discipline and misdeed, and parenting practices. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 58, 314-340.

Vinik, J. Almas, A., & Grusec, J.E. (2011). Maternal knowledge of what distresses and what comforts their children predicts children’s coping, empathy and prosocial behavior. Parenting: Science and Practice, 11, 56-71.

Almas, A., Grusec, J.E., & Tackett, J. (2011). Children’s disclosure and secrecy: Links to parenting experiences and coping. Social Development, 20, 624-643.

Grusec, J.E., & Sherman, A. (2011). Prosocial behavior. In Underwood, M.K., & L.H. Rosen (Eds.), Social Development. 263-286. Guilford Press, New York.

Grusec, J.E., Hastings, P., & Almas, A. (2011). Prosocial behavior. In Smith, P., & Hart, C. (Eds.), Handbook of children’s social development. Second edition. Blackwell Publishers (pp. 549-566).

Grusec, J.E. (2011). Socialization processes in the family: Social and emotional development. Annual Review of Psychology, 62, 243-269.