RESEARCH AND TRAINING IN DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY AT PENN STATE

Graduate study in the Developmental Psychology at Penn State provides students with comprehensive training in theory, methods, and empirical study of the processes and mechanisms of developmental change from infancy to adolescence. The active research programs of our faculty and students include the following.

Biological Bases of Development: Genetics, Hormones, Brain Imaging, and Psychophysiology Perceptual, Cognitive, Language, and Symbolic Development Gender Development Emotion, Temperament, and Adjustment

Research Labs and Projects

Brain Development Lab directed by Dr. Rick Gilmore
The Gender Development Lab directed by Dr. Sheri Berenbaum
The Cognitive and Social Development Lab directed by Dr. Lynn Liben
T.I.K.E.S. (Toddlers into Kindergarteners Emotions Study) directed by Dr. Kristin Buss
Challenge Zones and Children’s Language Development directed by Dr. Keith Nelson
Genes and Interpersonal Relationships through the Lifespan directed by Dr. Jenae Neiderhiser

HICDL Project (Harrisburg Infant and Child Development Lab), funded by the Children, Youth, and Family Consortium, is a collaborative research and community outreach effort involving three colleges and six departments at the University Park campus and African American community in Harrisburg, PA

Opportunities for Collaboration. The developmental research community at Penn State reaches far beyond the six core Developmental Area faculty and includes other faculty members in the Psychology Department, Human Development & Family Studies, Biobehavioral Health, Educational Psychology, Communication Science & Disorders, Counseling Psychology, and more.
Please check out these links to learn more about some of the many collaborative groups and projects:

Child Study Center
Children, Youth, and Family Consortium
The Huck Institutes for the Life Sciences