Alice Davidson, PhD
Professor of Psychology
Executive Director, Child Development & Student Research Center
My research focuses on parenting approaches and well-being and children's social-emotional development, peer relationships, and conflict. I use personal narratives as a tool to understand how children and parents make meaning from their experiences and navigate interpersonal challenges.
Education
BA, Rhodes College
MS, PhD, The Pennsylvania State University (Human Development & Family Studies)
Courses Taught
Perspectives I (PSY 150)
Statistics & Research Methods I (PSY 250/L)
Adolescent Development (PSY 309)
Developmental Psychology with Lab (PSY 328/L)
Lifespan Development (rFLA 100)
Recent Publications
Pezalla, A. E., & Davidson, A. J. (2024). “Trying to remain calm… but I do reach my limit sometimes”: An exploration of the meaning of gentle parenting. PLoS ONE, 19(7), e0307492. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0307492
*Welliver, M. E., Davidson, A. J., & *McCrary, A. (2023). Developmental differences in reported speech and internal state language in preschoolers' personal narratives. Journal of Child Language, 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305000923000168
Davidson, A. J. & *Welliver, M. E. (2021). Internal state language and resolution strategies in preschoolers’ narratives about sad experiences. Early Child Development and Care, 191(6), 876 – 890. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2019.1649669
Davidson, A. J., Walton, M. D., *Kansal, B., & Cohen, R. (2017). Narrative skills predict peer adjustment across elementary school years. Social Development, 26(4), 891 – 906. https://doi.org/10.1111/sode.12219
*student co-authors
News & Features
March 31, 2025
Rollins Inducts 24 New Members of Phi Beta Kappa
A select group of Rollins students has joined the nation’s most prestigious academic honor society, Phi Beta Kappa, placing them among the top 1 percent of college scholars in the U.S.
March 21, 2025
Rollins Museum of Art Collaborates with Hume House Child Development Center
David Matteson, an associate curator of education for Rollins Museum of Art, and Alice Davidson, executive director of Rollins Child Development Center and a professor of Psychology, were interviewed on Central Florida Public Media's Engage about the Symbolic Languages Exhibit. (at 39:01)
October 11, 2024
Psychology Professor Provides Expertise on Children Developing a Love for Reading
Alice Davidson, a psychology professor and Director of the Hume House College Child Development and Student Research Center, provided expert commentary to Parents.com on teaching your child to develop a love for reading.
December 13, 2023
Psychology Professor Shares Research on Gentle Parenting in New York Magazine
Alice Davidson, a professor of psychology, shared her research on "gentle parenting" with New York Magazine's -The Cut.
May 11, 2022
A Professor of Psychology Addresses Social-Emotional Learning
Alice Davidson, a professor of psychology, discusses social-emotional learning and the Florida Department of Education’s review of math textbooks.
April 21, 2022
Psychology Professor Provides Commentary on Social Emotional Learning
Psychology professor Alice Davidson discusses Florida’s ban on math textbooks that promote social emotional learning.