People in the Lab

Lab Director

Kenneth H. Rubin (B.A., McGill University; Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University)

Kenneth H. Rubin (B.A., McGill, 1968; Ph.D., Pennsylvania State, 1971), is a Professor of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology and Distinguished Scholar-Teacher at the University of Maryland – College Park. In 1995, upon arrival at the University of Maryland, he founded, and served as Director of the Center for Children, Relationships, and Culture. Previously, he was a Professor of the Department of Psychology at the University of Waterloo, and has held visiting appointments at Stanford University, University of Washington, University of Melbourne (Australia), and the Max-Planck-Institut fur Psychologische Forschung (Munich). His research interests include the study of child and adolescent social development, especially peer and parent-child relationships; social and emotional adjustment and maladjustment in childhood and adolescence; the origins and developmental course of social competence, social withdrawal, and aggression; and “all of the above” from a cross-cultural perspective. Many of his over 350 peer-reviewed publications have been co-authored by colleagues on five continents. Among his recent books are the Handbook of Peer Interactions, Relationships, and Groups (with Bill Bukowski and Brett Laursen, 2018); the Handbook of Child and Adolescent Aggression (with Tina Malti, 2018); The Development of Shyness and Social Withdrawal (with Rob Coplan, 2010); Social Anxiety in Childhood: Bridging Developmental and Clinical Perspectives (with Heidi Gazelle, 2010); and Socioemotional Development in Cultural Context (with Xinyin Chen, 2011). His book, The Friendship Factor (2002) received the National Parenting Publications Gold Award.

Rubin was the President of the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development (1998-2002), an elected member of the Society for Research in Child Development Governing Council (2009-2015), and an elected member of the APA Division 7 Executive Board (1987-1990). He has served as Associate Editor of Child Development (1981-1984; 1998-2001) and as a review panelist for NIH (USA) and SSHRCC (Canada). He is a Fellow of the American and Canadian Psychological Associations, the Association of Psychological Science, and the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development. Among his honors are the Society for Research in Child Development Distinguished Contributions to Understanding International, Cultural, and Contextual Diversity in Child Development Award; the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development Award for Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Research and Theory in Behavioral Development; the Developmental Psychology Mentor Award of the American Psychological Association; and the Pickering Award for Outstanding Contribution to Developmental Psychology in Canada. In 1987, Rubin was awarded the Killam Research Fellowship by the Canada Council; this is one of Canada’s most distinguished research awards given annually to approximately 5-to-7 scholars in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, health sciences and engineering. He was the first Developmental Scientist to receive the Killam Fellowship. At the University of Maryland, Rubin has received the Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year Award, (2006) and the Exceptional Scholarship Award, (College of Education, 2013). In 2015, he was named a Distinguished Scholar-Teacher by the University of Maryland.

Research Gate Profile
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Phone: (301) 405-5194
Email: krubin@umd.edu  

Lab Manager

Lindsay Druskin is the LSCFR's lab manager and the project coordinator for the Preschool Shyness Study and Preschool Play Study. She graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2018 with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Human Development. Broadly, her research interests include risk and protective factors affecting the developmental course of psychopathology, parenting and parent psychopathology, and the development and dissemination of evidence-based interventions. She is also interested in understanding and reducing barriers to mental health treatment. While in college, Lindsay completed a thesis on the impact of adolescent friendship quality on the relationship between mother- and father-child attachment and internalizing symptoms. Lindsay hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.

Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Email: ldruskin@umd.edu  

Post Doc

Matthew Barstead is a post doc in the Laboratory for the Study of Child and Family Relationships. A primary interest of his is the development of open-source tools to aid researchers in their efforts to effectively extract features from peripheral physiological measures that can be used to improve mental health diagnoses and/or monitor treatment response. 
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Dr. Barstead's Research Website
Email: barstead@umd.edu

Graduate Students

Kelly Smith 

Kelly Smith is a fifth year doctoral student. She received a B.A. in psychology from Georgetown University. Her research interests include the development of prosocial and socially competent behavior, the influence of parenting on children's social development, and interventions to improve the quality of children's relationships.

Curriculum Vitae (CV)
​Email: ksmith56@umd.edu

Hailey Fleece

Hailey Fleece is a first year master's student in the Human Development program. She received a B.A. from the University of Maryland in 2018. Her research interests include the impact of parent-child relationships on the development of anxiety disorders in children. Hailey hopes to go on to obtain a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology to become a child psychologist.

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Research Assistants

Grace Tanaya
Head Undergraduate Research Assistant

Grace Tanaya is a junior pursuing a B.S. in Psychology. Her research interests include developmental psychology, child and adult psychopathology, and mental health perceptions in Asian culture. Grace plans to go to graduate school for her PsyD or Ph.D. in clinical psychology.

Nicholas Chin
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Nicholas Chin is a recent graduate from the University of Maryland with a B.A. in Psychology. His research interests include human interaction with technology, child development, and how members within a group affect an individual’s motivation. He plans to attend graduate school to obtain a Master’s degree in I/O Psychology.

Kimberly Cerritos
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Kimberly Cerritos is a senior pursuing her degree in B.A. Psychology. Her research interests include developmental psychology and interpersonal relationships. She plans to attend graduate school to obtain a Master's degree in I/O Psychology.

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Lauren Dudley

Lauren Dudley is a senior pursuing her B.A. in Psychology. Her research interests include child psychopathology and how their social interactions may be affected. She plans to attend graduate school to obtain a Doctorate in Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychology.

Sarah Elbaum

Sarah Elbaum is a junior working towards a B.S. in Hearing and Speech Sciences. Her research interests include child psychopathology and how speech and language disorders affect children's social interactions. Sarah plans to attend graduate school to obtain her Master's degree in speech pathology.

Kendall Hurwitz

Kendall Hurwitz is a junior working towards a B.A. in Psychology. Her interests include child development with a focus on child psychopathology, spectrum disorders such as autism, and how parent-child relationships affect a child's growth and development. In the future, she hopes to attend graduate school to obtain a PsyD in Clinical or Counseling Psychology.

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Hailey Inverso

Hailey Inverso is a senior pursuing a B.A. in Psychology. Her interests are in pediatric psychology and the response to lifestyle change and self-image resiliency, with an emphasis on family systems. She plans to attend graduate school and one day work in a pediatric hospital.

Emily Israel

COMING SOON

Rachel Kolman

Rachel Kolman is a senior pursuing her B.A. in Psychology and Criminal Justice. She’s interested in different prevention methods that can help steer adolescents towards a crime free life. She hopes to attend graduate school after college and ultimately achieve a Ph.D. in Forensic Psychology.

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Hannah Levinson

Hannah Levinson is a junior pursuing a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Human Development. Her research interests include parent-child relationships, adult and child psychopathology, and child development. Hannah plans on attending graduate school.

Alexa Noppenberger

Alexa Noppenberger is a junior pursuing her B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience. Her research interests include cognitive development of children, relationships between brain development and behavior, and ADHD and related behavioral disorders. She hopes to attend graduate school in the future in order to receive a Ph.D. in Pediatric Psychology.

Joan Oduyoye

COMING SOON

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Michelle Penka

Michelle Penka is a senior pursuing a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Black Women’s Studies. Her interests include interpersonal relationships, developmental psychology, and prejudice and discrimination. She plans to attend graduate school to obtain a Ph.D. in Clinical or Counseling Psychology.

Stacey Cabrera

Stacey Cabrera is a junior pursuing a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Human Development. Her research interests include parent-child relationships and their impact on children's academic, social, and emotional development, particularly among ethnic minority and low-income communities. Stacey plans to attend graduate school to obtain her Ph.D. in Developmental or School Psychology.

Abi Eberman

COMING SOON

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Angie Mejia

Angie Mejia is a junior pursuing a B.A. in Psychology. Her research interests include the cognitive and social development of children in the Latino community. Angie plans on attending graduate school in the future.

Paige Munshell

Paige Munshell is a junior pursuing a B.S. in Psychology and a B.A. in English. Her research interests include child and adult psychopathology and gender-based violence. In the future she plans to attend a Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology.

Stephanie Pham

Stephanie Pham is a junior pursuing a B.A. in Psychology and Hearing and Speech Sciences. Her research interests include adult and child psychopathology, social and identity development, and mental health outcomes and interventions in underrepresented and at-risk populations. Stephanie ultimately wants to attend graduate school to pursue a degree in clinical psychology or speech-language pathology.

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Ryan Schare

Ryan Schare is a sophomore pursuing a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Human Development. Her research interests include parent-child relationships, child development and child psychopathology. Ryan plans on attending graduate school in order to receive her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology.

Taylor Trent

COMING SOON

Abigail Widmer

Abigail Widmer is a junior working towards a B.S. in psychology with a minor in neuroscience. Her research interests include developmental pathways of psychopathology, parent-child and peer relationships, and early intervention. Abigail plans to attend graduate school to attain a Ph.D. in clinical psychology.

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Josh Horen

Josh Horen is a freshman pursuing a B.A in Psychology as well as Family Science. His research interests include early childhood mental health, early intervention programs, and parent-child relationships. Josh plans on attending graduate school to receive his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.

Divija Kambala

Divija Kambala is a sophomore on the Pre-med track working towards a B.S. in Psychology. Her research interests include studying how factors of an individual's upbringing (parenting styles, socio-economic status, and their environment) affect social interactions in relation to personality outcomes. Divija plans to attend medical school to become a doctor.

Lane Williamson

Lane Williamson is a sophomore pursuing a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Human Development. Her research interests include child psychopathology and the impacts that parent-child, sibling, and peer relationships have on development. In the future, Lane plans to attend graduate school.

Emma Witham

Emma Witham is a freshman pursuing a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Human Development. Her research interests include child psychopathology and parental impact on child development. In the future, Emma hopes to attend graduate school.

Alumni

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