Ted's research examines parenting and socio-emotional development. It addresses basic psychosocial processes that determine how parents interact with and socialize children, mechanisms by which parents’ depressive symptoms affect parenting and child development, and parenting in the development of children’s autonomy, self assertion, and withdrawal. Current projects include research on the social-cognitive mechanisms responsible for children's risk for externalizing disorder when mothers have depressive symptoms, the complex processes by which children of depressed mothers become inhibited and disengaged, and how mothers' depressive symptoms promote aversion sensitivity, a mechanism that alters mother-child interactions in ways the disrupt normal development.  

Select Publications

Wang, Y., & Dix, T. (2015). Mothers’ early depressive symptoms predict children’s low social competence in first grade: Mediation by children’s social cognition. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 56, 183-192.

Dix, T., Moed, A., & Anderson, E. R. (2014). Mothers’ depressive symptoms predict both increased and reduced negative reactivity with children: Aversion sensitivity and the regulation of emotion. Psychological Science, 25, 1353-1361.

Buck, K. A., & Dix, T. (2014). Parenting and naturally-occurring declines in the antisocial behavior of children and adolescents: A process model. Journal of Family Theory and Review, 6 (3), 257-277. 

Dix, T., & Yan, N. (2014). Mothers’ depressive symptoms and infant negative emotionality in the prediction of child adjustment at age 3: Testing the maternal reactivity and child vulnerability hypotheses. Development and Psychopathology, 26, 111-124.

Wang, Y., & Dix, T. (2013). Patterns of depressive parenting: Why they occur and their role in early developmental risk. Journal of Family Psychology, 27 (6), 884-895. 

Dix, T., Meunier, L. N., Lusk, K., & Perfect. M. (2012). Mothers’ depressive symptoms and children’s facial emotion: Examining the depression-inhibition hypothesis. Development and Psychopathology, 24, 195-210.

Buck, K. A., & Dix, T. (2012). Can developmental changes in inhibition and peer relations explain why depressive symptoms increase in early adolescence? Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 41, 403-413.

Dix, T., & Meunier, L. N. (2009). Depressive symptoms and parenting competence: An analysis of thirteen regulatory processes. Developmental Review, 29, 45-68.

Bryan, A. E., & Dix, T. (2009). Mothers’ emotions and supportive behavior during interactions with toddlers: The role of child temperament. Social Development,18, 647-670.

Dix, T., Cheng, N., & Day, W. (2009). Connecting with parents: Mothers’ depressive symptoms and responsive behaviors in the regulation of social contact by 1- and young 2-year-olds. Social Development, 18, 24-50.

Dix, T., Stewart, A. D., Gershoff, E. T., & Day, W. H. (2007). Autonomy and children’s reactions to being controlled: Evidence that both compliance and defiance may be positive markers in early development. Child Development, 78, 1204-1221.

• Nominated for the William David Blunk Memorial Professorship (2010)
• American Psychological Association Advanced Training Fellowship (2008)
• Research Excellence Award (2008)
• Association for Psychological Science Elected Fellow (2007)
• College Teaching Excellence Award, College of Natural Sciences, University of Texas at Austin (2007)
• Department Teaching Excellence Award, Department of Human Ecology, University of Texas at Austin (2007)
• Elected Fellow American Psychological Association (Div. 7) (1997)
• George A. Miller Award American Psychological Association (Div. 1)
• Young Scholars Award Foundation for Child Development (1984)

Wang, Y., & Dix, T. (March, 2015). Individual differences in negative emotionality moderate the effects of maternal depressive symptoms on child externalizing problems. Presented at the biennial meetings of the Society for Research in Child Development, Philadelphia, PA.

Yan, N., & Dix. T. (March, 2015). Children's resilience when mothers’ depressive symptoms are high: Regulatory processes related to children’s active agency. Presented at the biennial meetings of the Society for Research in Child Development, Philadelphia, PA.

Wang, Y., & Dix, T. (March, 2014). Patterns of hostile attribution biases among children of depressed mothers: Determinants and relations to aggressive behaviors. Presented at the 19^th Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Human Development, Austin, TX.

Moed, A., Dix, T., & Anderson, E. R. (May, 2013). Mothers’ depressive symptoms and negative reactivity to changing child inputs: Links to child adjustment. Presented at the Annual Meetings of The Association for Psychological Science, Washington, DC.

Dix, T. (April, 2013). Chair, Paper symposium: Effects of maternal depression on children’s adjustment. Presented at the biennial meetings of the Society for Research in Child Development, Seattle, WA.

Dix, T., & Yan, N. (April, 2013). Mothers’ depression and infant emotionality predict adjustment: Differential susceptibility or maternal reactivity? Presented at the biennial meetings of the Society for Research in Child Development, Seattle, WA.

Yan, N., & Dix, T. (April, 2013). Maternal depression and child adjustment at first grade: Mediation by child withdrawal and mutually responsive orientation. Presented at the biennial meetings of the Society for Research in Child Development, Seattle, WA.

Wang, Y., & Dix, T. (April, 2013). Patterns of depressive parenting: Why they occur and their role in early developmental risk. Presented at the biennial meetings of the Society for Research in Child Development, Seattle, WA. 

HDf 394 Parent-Child Interaction

HDF 398T College Teaching

HDF 358 Parent-Child Relationships

HDF 313H Child Development (Honors) 

HDF 313 Child Development