Education

PhD University of Chicago (1994)

MA  University of Chicago (1987)

BS Michigan State University (1986) 

Courses Taught

Life-span Developmental Psychology (PSYC 210)

Child Growth and Development (PSYC 215)

Women’s Health (HEAL 252)

Applied Developmental Psychology (PSYC 305)

Psychology Practicum (PSYC 325)

Research Interests

Infant and child social and emotional development

Caregiver-child interaction and attachment

Development of high-risk infants and children

Socio-cultural contexts for development

Community-based doula programming for underserved mothers

Publications

(Selected Publications)

Hans, S. L., Cox, S. M., & Medina, N. Y. (2022). African American adolescent mothers’ childbirth support from fathers, grandmothers, nurses, doctors, and doulas. The Journal of Perinatal Education, 31(1), 21-28.

Cox, S. M., Lashley, C. O., Henson, L. G., Medina, N. Y., & Hans, S. L. (2021). Making meaning of motherhood: Self and life transitions among African American adolescent mothers. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 91(1), 120–131.

Cox, S.M. (2006). Bridging attachment theory and attachment parenting with feminist methods of inquiry. Journal of the Association for Research on Mothers, 8.1, Special Issue on Mothering and Feminism, 83-95.

Cox, S.M., Hopkins, J., and Hans, S.L. (2000). Attachment in preterm infants and their mothers: Neonatal risk status and maternal representations. Infant Mental Health Journal, 21, 464-480.

Dozens of Beloit College students and I have presented our collaborative research at regional, national, or international research conference presentations. Two recently presented samples of our work include:

Mamani, F.G. & Cox, S.M. (November, 2022). Perceptions of educators and therapists about art as a therapeutic process for Latinx students. Poster presented at the Midstates Consortium’s Biological and Psychology Undergraduate Research Symposium at the University of Chicago; Chicago, IL.

Barkakoty, T. & Cox, S.M. (April, 2021). Mothers’ birth stories and children’s attachment behavior: Shifting methods in a pandemic. Poster presented at the Psi Chi Session of the Annual Meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association; Chicago, IL. (virtual presentation)

Suzanne Cox

Professor and Chair of Psychology

 Email: coxs@beloit.edu  Phone: 608-363-2283  Office: Room 236, Sanger Center for the Sciences

In the courses I teach in developmental psychology, such as those focused on life-span development, I often look for ways that students can apply what they are learning in the classroom to their own lives and to their surrounding community. Much of my teaching and advising centers on how students can learn to enhance their own development. In addition to teaching psychology, I also contribute to the interdisciplinary Health & Society and Critical Identity Studies programs.

My research interests focus on parent-child relationships, and my students and I have collaborated on multiple projects exploring aspects of how developmental science can help promote optimal human development. For example, the implementation of a community-based doula program to improve childbirth outcomes and to foster secure infant-mother attachment relationships has involved multiple students at various phases of the program. I love hearing from Beloit College alumni who’ve put into practice in their careers and their lives what we examined together while they were college students.

I have spent most of my life in the Midwest and while I’m fond of the Great Lakes, my recent family adventures have focused on exploring mountains and white water on the west coast. Nature hikes, bike rides, and yoga help keep my well-being in check. Now that my children are grown and gone, my Beloit blue and gold pets (Russian Blue cats and Golden Retriever) keep our home lively.

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