Families and Technology

Jennifer Van Hook, PhD, is Roy C. Buck Professor of Sociology and Demography and Director of the Graduate Program in Sociology at Penn State and non-resident fellow at the Migration Policy Institute.  She has expertise in the demographics of immigrant populations and the socioeconomic integration of immigrants and their children.  One strand of her work uses demographic methods to estimate the size, characteristics, and dynamics of the unauthorized foreign-born population. Another strand of her work focuses on the health and well-being of immigrants and their children.  She is currently co-editor of Demography, the flagship journal for population science. 

Susan M. McHale, PhD, is Director of the Social Science Research Institute and Distinguished Professor of Human Development and Professor of Demography at Penn State. Her research focuses on children's and adolescents' family roles, relationships, and daily experiences and how these family dynamics are linked to youth development and adjustment. Dr. McHale’s research highlights family gender dynamics, including how differential family experiences of sisters and brothers are linked to the choices they make in the areas of education, work, and family formation. Dr. McHale also investigates the socio-cultural contexts of family dynamics including how parents’ and youths’ values, practices, and daily experiences have implications for family life and youth adjustment in African American and Mexican American families. Most recently her work has extended to the links between family dynamics, particularly family stressors, and youths’ physical health.

Valarie King, PhD, is Professor of Sociology, Demography, and Human Development and Family Studies at Penn State, and the Director of the Family Demography Training Program at the Population Research Institute. Her research focuses on intergenerational relationships across the life course and their implications for the health, well-being,and development of family members. Her work has been published in numerous outlets including American Sociological Review, Demography, Journals of Gerontology-Social Sciences, and Journal of Marriage and Family. Dr. King’s most recent work focuses on elucidating the factors that promote the development of strong ties between children and their stepfathers, and the ways in which stepfathers can promote children’s well-being. She currently serves on the editorial boards of Journal of Marriage and Family and Journal of Family Issues.