Current Directions in Developmental Psychology

Lynn S. Liben is currently Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Human Development & Family Studies, and Education at The Pennsylvania State University — University Park where she formerly served as the Head of the Psychology Department and as the Director of the Child Study Center. She received her B.A. from Cornell University and her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.

Dr. Liben is Editor of Child Development and a past editor of the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, President of Division 7 (Developmental Psychology) of the American Psychological Association (APA), and President of the Piaget Society. She has published over 100 articles and chapters in professional journals and edited volumes, and has applied her research findings to designing educational materials for use on television, in schools, and at museums.

Professor Liben’s research, supported by agencies and organizations such as the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Education, and the National Geographic Society, has focused on two major areas. One concerns how children’s and adults’ spatial concepts develop, and with the ways that these concepts are involved in learning sciences such as geography and geology. The second concerns the cognitive-developmental underpinnings and consequences of stereotypes, particularly those related to gender.