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CSC Child Study Center

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Children sitting in a row reading books
Two young girls smiling with their arms around each other
Mother holding sad child
Diverse children smiling
Diverse babies sitting in a row
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The Child Study Center is dedicated to promoting children’s development and well-being through the dynamic integration of research, undergraduate and graduate training, and engaged community outreach.

We are housed in the Department of Psychology in the College of the Liberal Arts.

The Child Study Center is dedicated to promoting children’s development and well-being through the dynamic integration of research, undergraduate and graduate training, and engaged community outreach.

We are housed in the Department of Psychology in the College of the Liberal Arts.

Events

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Save the date!
May 11-12, 2026
Penn State Open Scholarship Bootcamp 2026
Co-Sponsored by the CSC
8:30 a.m., Dewey Room, West Pattee Library
Please register here. 

Save the date!
August 13, 2026
Tenth Annual Central PA Workshop on Evidence-Based Mental Health Services
Amanda B. Nickerson, PhD, NCSP
University of Buffalo, SUNY
8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., Memorial Lounge, 107 Pasquerilla Spiritual Center
Please register here.

Save the date!
October 22, 2026
The 2026-2027 Child Study Center’s Lois Bloom Lecture
Daniel S. Shaw, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor
University of Pittsburgh
4:15 p.m., Nittany Lion Inn

 

News

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Emilia F. Cárdenas and colleagues investigated main effects and interactions of reward processing and birth-related stressors on postpartum internalizing symptoms
Sun, Li, Chow, and Lunkenheimer (2026) examined the development of mothers’ and preschoolers’ self-regulation and coregulation of regulatory physiology from ages 3 to 4, and how harsh parenting impacted these processes
Faculty affiliate Janette Watkins and colleagues investigated the mechanisms underlying body dissatisfaction in young adults
Working in Erika Lunkenheimer’s Parent-Child Dynamics Lab helped shape Jui Baliga’s academic path
Faculty affiliate Christian M. Connell and colleagues examined the use of research evidence in U.S. state child abuse and neglect policies from 2019-2024

Student Spotlight

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Headshot of Mirella Maggi

Mirella Maggi

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Fathers are an understudied group in psychology, despite their importance for child development.