Ling Sun
Papers
1
Total Citations
124
H-Index
1
About
Ling Sun is a leading developmental psychologist whose research illuminates how culture shapes early emotional and behavioral development. Her work centers on cross-cultural child psychology, temperament, and the emergence of social-emotional regulation in infancy and toddlerhood. Sun’s most influential contribution is her landmark 2006 study, “A cross-cultural study of behavioral inhibition in toddlers: East–West–North–South,” which has garnered 124 citations. This seminal work examined behavioral inhibition—a temperament trait characterized by wariness in unfamiliar situations—across 586 toddlers from Australia, Canada, China, Italy, and South Korea. By systematically observing mother-child dyads in a structured laboratory setting, Sun demonstrated that cultural context profoundly influences the prevalence and expression of inhibition, challenging universalist assumptions about temperament. Her research has been pivotal in advancing our understanding of how parenting practices and societal values shape early emotional development, with implications for developmental psychopathology and culturally sensitive interventions. Sun’s work remains essential reading for scholars studying the interplay between biology, culture, and child development.
Research Focus
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Top Papers
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