Kristin A. Buss Ph.D.

Kristin A. Buss, Ph.D., is the Tracy Winfree and Ted H. McCourtney Professor in Children, Work, and Families, Head and Professor of Psychology & Human Development and Family Studies at Penn State. She is a developmental psychologist with over 30 years of experience and expertise in emotion, temperament and anxiety development from infancy to adolescence.

Dr. Buss’ research in the Emotion Development Lab at Penn State aims to understand the complex systems involved in the development of emotion, emotion regulation, temperament, and adjustment from infancy to early adolescence. We are particularly interested in understanding early emerging individual differences in social-emotional behaviors and the consequent developmental trajectories for different types of children. Specifically, our work examines mechanisms and processes using physiological, behavioral, family and social factors that may account for which children are are highest risk for developing problematic fearful and anxious behaviors.