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Psychology Department

Rachel Riskind

Christina B. Gidynski Associate Professor of Psychology


Office

King-228E
+1 (336) 3162010
riskindrg@guilford.edu

Biography


Rachel G. Riskind (she/her) joined the Guilford College community in 2013. She is the Christina B. Gidynski '54 Associate Professor of Psychology and Chair of the Department of Psychology.

How do socioecological systems, including systems of oppression, influence family life, sexuality, and gender? Rachel is a feminist social developmental psychologist whose teaching and research address these questions, focusing on parents, children, and adolescents. Her recent research describes family processes in families headed by transgender parents. 

Rachel’s students describe her as a challenging, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic instructor who understands that students’ academic experiences are intimately connected with their lives beyond academics. During class time, Rachel’s students practice applying theories, concepts, and research findings to everyday life. She encourages students to “sing loudly even before they know the notes”: volunteer answers when they don’t feel confident in their understanding. This strategy helps students understand the boundaries of accurate interpretation of the research and helps students benefit from feedback early and often. She often chats with students about their motivations, challenges, and academic progress; this allows her to tailor her teaching to their needs and interests and connect them to relevant resources. 

Education


University of Virginia, Ph.D., 2013
Community and Developmental Psychology
The University of Texas at Austin, B.A., 2006
Psychology

Selected Scholarship


Peer-reviewed scholarship:

  • Riskind, R.G. & MacLean, M.F.* (In press). Intentions and motivations to parent. In The Sage Encyclopedia of LGBTQ Studies (2nd Ed). Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications, Inc. 
  • Riskind, R.G. & Tornello, S.L. (2022). “I think it’s too early to know”: Gender identity labels and gender expression of young children with nonbinary or binary transgender parents. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 916088. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.916088  
  • Tornello, S.L., Riskind, R.G., & Babic, A.** (2019). Transgender and gender non-binary parents’ pathways to parenthood. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 6, 232-241. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000323
  • Riskind, R.G. (2018). Practice question notebooks for spaced learning, retrieval practice, and low-stakes assessment. In T. L. Kuther (Ed.), Integrating Writing into the College Classroom: Strategies for Promoting Student Skills. Retrieved from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology website: http://teachpsych.org/ebooks
  • Riskind, R.G. & Tornello, S.L. (2017). Sexual orientation and future parenthood in a 2011-2013 nationally representative United States sample. Journal of Family Psychology, 31, 792-798. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000316

 
*Guilford College undergraduate collaborator
**Guilford College faculty collaborator

Courses Taught


PSY 224: Developmental Psychology
PSY 250: How to Read Like a Psychology Professor
PSY 250/350: Research lab: Sexual orientation & gender diversity
PSY 301: Research Methods & Analysis
PSY 314: Psychology of Parenthood
PSY 351: Psychology of Human Sexuality
MYCQ 100: How to Love Books
PSY 210: Mexican Childhoods: study abroad program in Oaxaca, Mexico (cross-listed as Modern Language Studies 210)
HON 400: Honors Senior Seminar