Martha (Pinet) Henry

Francis L. Hiatt School of Psychology, Clark University
Center for Adoption Research, UMass Medical School
e-mail: mpinet@clarku.edu; Martha.pinet@umassmed.edu
phone: 508-856-8593

Martha (Pinet) Henry, ABD, is a doctoral candidate in developmental psychology. She is also a research associate at the Center for Adoption Research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Her broad research interests are related to issues of child development and adoptive families. More specifically, she is interested in the role language practices play in socializing children's self-other relations and on self-development. Previously, Henry has conducted research with school age children to examine their developing use of modal verbs as a means for constructing self during play interactions with peers.

Henry's dissertation research focuses on how mothers construct local notions of personhood for their children during play interactions and how these constructions may impact a child's developing sense of self. Currently, her interest in adoptive families has led her to concentrate her interests in examining constructions of personhood in these families. The work is not unique to adoptive families but Martha hopes using a language socialization perspective may provide alternative means for examining child development within these families. Historically, development in children who were adopted has been viewed with a deficit lens and rarely focused on actual interactions between family members. Henry's other interests are related to creating educational resources using a developmental framework for a variety of professional training programs (e.g., teachers, medical students) with a specific focus on non-traditional families.

Publications
Gibbs, P. & Henry, M.J. (June 2003). 1999-2000 Massachusetts' adoption agency survey: Private agencies providing domestic and international adoption placements. Report to the Massachusetts Legislature.

Gibbs, P., Henry, M.J., Koerner, M. & Morse, V. (book manuscript submitted). Adoption and Foster Care in the Classroom: A Resource Guide for Educators and Parents.

Pinet, M., Moissinac, L., & Budwig, N. (2001). Children's use of modal verbs in the discursive construction of self in peer play and peer narrations. In A. H. -J. Do, L. Dominguez & A. Johansen (Eds.). 25th Annual Boston University Conference for Language Development Proceedings. (vol. 2, pp. 599-610). Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press.

Conference Presentations
Gibbs, P. & Henry, M.J. (January 2003). Adoption and the classroom: A workshop for parents". Bancroft School, Worcester, MA.

Henry, M.J., Koerner, M. & Hulsebosch, P. (October 2002). Adoption and foster care in the classroom: A workshop for educators". National Association of Multicultural Education (NAME) conference, Washington, DC.

DiLallo, M., Pinet, M., Jacob, K., Lamb, J., & Demick, J. (April, 2001). " Young adults' attitudes toward infertility, reproductive technologies, and adoption." Poster presented at the Society for Research in Child Development conference, Minneapolis, MN.

Pinet, M., DiLallo, M., Jacob, K., & Demick, J. (March, 2000). "Making sense of adoption research: Problem, Theory, Method and Practice." Workshop given at the Southern New England's 9th Annual Adoption Conference, Providence, RI.

Pinet, M., Moissinac, L., & Budwig, N. (November 2000 )."Children's use of modal verbs in the discursive construction of self in peer play and peer narrations." Paper presented at the 25th Annual Boston University Conference for Language Development, Boston, MA.

Smith, M., Budwig, N., Moissinac, L., & Pinet, M. (June 2000). " Conceptual universal or cultural variations in constructing self-other relations: A comparative analysis of desire and belief talk in American and German caregiver-child interactions." Paper presented at the Jean Piaget Society Annual Conference, Quebec, Canada.

Budwig, N., Smith, M., Moissinac, L., & Pinet, M. (January 2000). " Conceptual universal and cultural variations: Desire and belief talk in American and German caregiver-infant interactions." Talk given at New England Mini-Conference on Infant Studies, Worcester, MA.

Pinet, M. (March 1996). "Gender differences in children's communication strategies." Poster presented at Eastern Psychological Association Conference, Philadelphia, PA.