As Principal Investigator for the Father-Infant Neuroscience & Child Health (FINCH) Lab, my students and I explore development from a biological perspective.. This work is highly multidisciplinary and features parallel lines of inquiry: (1) the biology (hormones and epigenetic) of familial relationships during important life transitions (e.g., first-time parenthood) and (2) the developmental psychobiological mechanisms that influence development (physical growth, immune functioning, cognitive, socio-emotional) from the time in utero through adolescence.

The focus of my current work is the influence of parents on early infant (neuroendocrine and epigenetic) development. Ongoing longitudinal work on these relationships include a follow up with infants and their families who’s initial participation took place in the third-trimester of pregnancy twelve years ago in Southern California.

Recent Student Submissions (Pepperdine University)

student co-author*

Shah, A.P.* & Corpuz, R. (in press).  Testosterone and fatherhood. In T.K. Shackelford & V.A. Weekes- Shackelford (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Sexual Psychology and Behavior New York: Springer.

Corpuz, R. & Shah, A.P.* (revise and resubmit). Post-Mini-Puberty Testosterone and Infant Alpha-Amylase During Caregiver Separation

Bhej, A.* & Corpuz, R. (revise and resubmit). A Bayesian Cross-Lagged Panel Analysis of Stress-Buffering, Relationship Erosion, and Maternal HPA-Axis Regulation Across the Transition to Motherhood

Preston, S.R.* & Corpuz, R. (under review). Parental Attributions, Infant Negative Affectivity, and Parent Adjustment in First-Time Mother-Father Dyads

Representative Publications

Kotov, D.A.* & Corpuz, R., (2024). No Evidence for Relationship Between Paternal Post-Partum Depressive Symptoms and Testosterone or Cortisol in First-Time Fathers. Frontiers in Psychology, 15:1348031.

Corpuz, R., D’Alessandro, S.*, & Moon, J. M.* (2021). Maternal cortisol and paternal testosterone correlated with infant growth via mini puberty. Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology, 7(4), 403-431.

Corpuz, R., D’Alessandro, S.*, & Collom, G. K.* (2021). The postnatal testosterone rebound in first‐time fathers and the quality and quantity of paternal care. Developmental Psychobiology, 63(5), 1415-1427.

Corpuz, R., D’Alessandro, S.*, Adeyemo, J.*, Jankowski, N.*, & Kandalaft, K.* (2020). Life History Orientation Predicts COVID Precautions and Projected Behaviors. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1857.

Bugental, D.B. & Corpuz, R. (2019). Parental Attributions. In M.H. Bornstein (Eds.), Handbook of Parenting. London: LEA.