The Emotion Development Lab

Dr. Kristin Buss is Professor of Psychology and Human Development & Family Studies at Penn State University and also the Director of the Emotion Development Lab. She is interested in children’s emotional and social development. Her studies often focus on how early emotional experiences shape later development.

My research examines psychological factors that contribute to emotional well-being across the lifespan. By integrating neurocognitive, physiological, and behavioral techniques, I aim to gain insight into the complex processes that underlie risk and resilience throughout development. One current line of research uses this multi-method approach to investigate social context-sensitive biological signatures of emotion regulation flexibility in development.

Stacey LeVan joined the Emotion Development Lab in 2019 as a Lab Manager. Stacey is a Penn State graduate with a B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies with an emphasis on Adolescent Development. She received her M.Ed. in Higher Education in 2022. Prior research experience includes multiple projects on School Readiness under Dr. Karen Bierman. Her research interests include First Generation College Students.

Tatum Gramly joined the Emotion Development Lab in 2023 as a research data manager. She graduated from Juniata College in 2022 with a B.S. in Biology with a minor in Psychology, and obtained her master’s in Bioinformatics in 2025. Her prior research experience includes work on the Healthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study. Her current research interests include epigenetics, the underlying biological influences on adolescent development and psychopathology, and the development and implementation of data pipelines. In her free time, Tatum enjoys watching soccer and painting.

Alina Hoff joined the Emotion Development Lab in 2023 as a project coordinator after receiving a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Sociology from Arizona State University. Her prior research experience includes working as a research assistant in the Adolescent Stress and Emotion Lab and the Arizona Twin Project. Her research interests focus on the intersection of psychophysiology, wearable technology, and health outcomes, examining how physiological stress and internalizing symptoms (e.g., anxiety) affect sleep, emotion regulation, and cardiometabolic health in adolescents and young adults. In her free time, Alina enjoys running and making obscure Spotify playlists.

Justin Wortman joined the Emotion Development Lab as a research assistant in 2024. Justin graduated from Penn State in 2023 with a B.S. in Psychology. His prior research experience includes working as a research assistant in the Laboratory of Developmental Neuroscience, where he worked under Dr. Suzy Scherf on the SAGA project, which focused on visual communication skills in adolescents with autism. His research interests include eye-tracking, and he hopes to pursue a PhD through the military.

Leah is a second-year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology (Child-Track) PhD program at Penn State, working with Dr. Kristin Buss. She received her B.A. with a double major in Psychology and History from the University of Michigan in 2022. Previously, she served as an undergraduate research assistant in the Michigan Neurogenetics and Developmental Psychopathology Lab (directed by Dr. Luke Hyde) and as the lab manager/research coordinator for the Trauma History Investigation of Neurodevelopment in Kids Lab (directed by Dr. Hilary Marusak). Leah’s research interests include the psychophysiological regulation of fear and anxiety risk in children and adolescents.

Maddie is a fourth-year graduate student in the Developmental Psychology program, working with Dr. Kristin Buss and the Emotion Development Lab. She received her BA in Psychology from Cornell College with a minor in Applied Statistics, and completed an undergraduate research fellowship with Dr. Jasmine Fardouly at Macquarie University in Sydney, AU. After graduating, Maddie completed her Masters in Clinical and Developmental Research at Vanderbilt University, where she was mentored by Dr. Autumn Kujawa and worked as a research assistant for Dr. Judy Garber. At Vanderbilt, Maddie became fascinated with developmental psychopathology, multi-method research (including EEG/ERP and EMA) and quantitative methods. She is excited to study both longitudinal and proximal risk factors for the emergence of internalizing psychopathology during adolescence, particularly related to social-emotional processing, temperament, and interpersonal stress. In her free time, Maddie likes watching baseball (go Cards), spending time outside, and trying new recipes.

Jianing is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Developmental Psychology program working with Dr. Erika Lunkenheimer and Dr. Kristin Buss. She received her master’s degree in psychology from Beijing Normal University, China in 2022. Her research interests are the impact of family risks (e.g., child maltreatment) on child outcomes, physiological pathways between childhood adversity and health, and individual differences in above associations. In pursuing her Ph.D., she hopes to further investigate how familial adversities and parent-child dynamic contribute to child physiology and psychopathology, and the protective processes in parent-child relationships.

Alyssa is a second-year graduate student in the Developmental Psychology program working with Dr. Kristin Buss and Dr. Koraly Pérez-Edgar. She received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Psychological Science at Western Kentucky University through their joint undergraduate masters program. Under the mentorship of Dr. Diane Lickenbrock, she worked as an undergraduate/graduate research assistant for 5 years. Alyssa’s interests in emotion development include using a multimethod approach to understanding individual differences in cardiac autonomic reactivity (RSA/PEP), temperament (behavioral inhibition), and parent-child interactions. She is particularly interested in exploring these factors as they work dynamically, in tandem to shape the way children respond to stress. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, calligraphy, and spending time with friends and family.

Daiqing Zhao (Iris) is a fifth-year graduate student in Developmental Psychology working with Dr. Jenae Neiderhiser and Dr. Kristin Buss. She received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities in 2018, where she primarily studied individual differences and personality structure with Dr. Colin DeYoung, and childhood social cognition with Dr. Melissa Koenig. She received her M.A. from Boston University, where she worked with Dr. Michael Lyons on genetic and environmental risk factors of Mild Cognitive Impairment in mid to late-age twins. Her interests lie in mechanisms of childhood and adolescence adjustment problems (e.g. internalizing and externalizing problems), development of temperament and personality, and how gene-environment interplay could explain the above.