Amanda Harrist

Human Development and Family Science Associate Professor Amanda Harrist has been named the Bryan B. Close Professor. The professorship was established to encourage excellence in teaching and scholarship related to young children. 

Donations from Bryan Close of Tulsa and former state senator Ed Long of Stillwater were combined and matched by Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to provide for the professorship. “I am pleased to know that both gifts and matching funds will be leveraged to help Dr. Harrist apply her expertise to make a significant difference for young children in our community and all over the state,” said Close, who also complimented Dean Pat Knaub of the College of Human Environmental Sciences for her vision for the future of childhood education.

Harrist teaches courses in human lifespan development, parenting and peer relations in childhood. Her research focuses on understanding young children’s adaptive and maladaptive social behavior during early and middle childhood. By examining family interactions and peer group dynamics, her research has led to understanding the development of children’s social competence.

Harrist is currently the principal investigator on an interdisciplinary team studying childhood obesity. The $1,000,000 United States Department of Agriculture funded project Families and Schools for Health (FiSH) targets psychological issues in the families and peer groups of overweight children. By following data collected from 1,200 first graders, their teachers and parents in rural Oklahoma, the team hopes to identify the relationship between nutrition and child development and recommend programs that will improve the health of children. 

Harrist has presented results of her research at national conferences of professional organizations such as the Society for Research in Child Development and the American Psychological Association.