About

Rebecca Waller is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on socioemotional development, child psychopathology, and personality development, with particular attention to the environmental contexts that influence the development of antisocial behavior, including aggression, violence, theft, and problematic substance use. She examines how environmental factors interact with genetic risk to shape brain structure and function, utilizing methods such as fMRI and DTI. Her work aims to understand resilience among children and families to inform prevention and intervention strategies for reducing antisocial behavior. Dr. Waller has a background in experimental psychology and social intervention from the University of Oxford, where she earned her BA, MSc, and Ph.D. Her research also explores related constructs such as callous-unemotional traits, empathy, conscience, and parent-child interactions, contributing to the understanding of early behavioral and emotional development.

Research topics

• Psychiatry
• Developmental psychology
• Psychology
• Clinical psychology
• Social psychology
• Neuroscience
• Medicine

Selected publications

• Traumatic birth experiences and maternal caregiving behaviors and attitudes in black and white women

  Archives of Women s Mental Health · 2026-03-19

  articleOpen access

  This longitudinal investigation examined the association between traumatic birth experiences (measured via self-report and clinician-report) and caregiving behaviors and attitudes and any race-related differences in these associations. Subjective childbirth trauma was measured via a three-item questionnaire at 12 weeks postpartum. Medical childbirth factors were extracted from the electronic health record. Maternal caregiving behaviors and attitudes were assessed via comprehensive questionnaires (i.e., mother-infant bonding and parenting stress) and observation ratings (i.e., positive parenting and mother-infant interactions) at 12 weeks, 12 months, and 24 months postpartum. Multiple linear regressions were run to analyze these relationships. A total of 255 mothers (106 Black and 149 White) who gave birth from April to December 2020 were examined. More traumatic childbirth experiences were significantly associated with higher-rated observed positive parenting scores (β = 0.21, pFDR<0.05) when controlling for demographic factors. There were no significant relationships at 12 weeks or 24 months postpartum. Additionally, there were no effects of race on the relationship between childbirth trauma and caregiving. Subjective reports of childbirth trauma were not significantly associated with poorer maternal caregiving behaviors and attitudes. This study adds to the literature by examining Black women, as they are underrepresented in this body of research and more at risk of experiencing traumatic childbirths. This study investigated the relationship between childbirth trauma and various maternal caregiving behaviors, measured at several timepoints during the postpartum period. The sample included Black and White women who gave birth early in the COVID-19 pandemic, a time of heightened stress for those delivering in a hospital setting. We found mostly nonsignificant relationships but one positive relationship between childbirth and caregiving behaviors when children were 12 months old: More traumatic birth experiences were related to better caregiving scores. This is the first study to focus on Black individuals’ childbirth experiences and its relation to caregiving behaviors. More research is needed on women of color, as they have a higher risk of experiencing a traumatic birth.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Applying a Network Approach To Characterize Gender Differences in Conduct Problems and Callous-Unemotional Traits among Children from Two Countries

  Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology · 2026-01-16

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Callous-unemotional (CU) traits (i.e., low empathy, restricted guilt, limited prosociality) are associated with severe conduct problems (CP) across development. However, there is heterogeneity in how CP and CU traits manifest at different ages, between boys and girls, in different countries, and different measures. The current study investigated this heterogeneity by applying network analysis to two large mixed-gender samples from the United States (US) and Spain assessed at different ages, with parent ratings of CP, conduct disorder (CD) symptoms, and CU traits. Data were from the ABCD baseline study (US, N = 11,874, age M = 9.48, SD = 0.51, 47.8% girls) and social development sub-study (US, N = 2,426, age M = 11.52, SD = 0.73, 47.4% girls), as well as two waves of the ELISA study (Spain, N = 1,342, age M = 10.24, SD = 1.07, 50.2% girls; N = 1,259, age M = 10.92, SD = 1.01, 50% girls). There were similar rates of CP risk across countries and genders, with the exception that boys younger than age 12 had higher CP risk rates than girls in US. Boys also had higher CU traits than girls in both countries. Network analysis revealed stronger connectivity between items assessing CU traits than CP symptoms, which was consistent across measures and countries. Disobedience and deceitfulness were central symptoms across all samples. Relational aggression was more central among girls, and property destruction and theft were more central in the US. Results highlight the need for personalized interventions that target specific symptoms of CP and CU traits, which can help reduce the burden of antisocial conduct across the lifespan.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Using Machine Learning to Identify Infant and Child Environmental and Biological Predictors of Callous-Unemotional Traits

  Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology · 2026-02-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Stop Right Now, Thank You Very Much: Psychopathic Traits, Externalizing Dimensions, and Interpersonal Proximity

  Journal of Personality Disorders · 2026-04-01

  articleSenior author

  s = 175 and 173) used clinical-forensic and transdiagnostic measures relevant to psychopathy and an adapted interpersonal distance task. Participants indicated preferred proximity to different targets ranging in affiliation and threat after describing each target in their own words. As expected, participants preferred closer proximity to affiliative targets (e.g., a friend) versus threatening ones (e.g., a thief). However, psychopathic traits did not predict interpersonal proximity preferences. Notably, psychopathic traits (Factor 2; antagonism) were linked to response inconsistency, suggesting task disengagement. Exploratory findings showed that participants high in antagonism used more negative language to describe strangers, suggesting hostile attribution bias; however, this was unrelated to task behavior. Overall, the task did not reveal clear socioemotional differences linked to psychopathy. More engaging, ecologically valid methods are needed to better assess affiliation and threat processing in psychopathy.

  PublisherDOI

• Using machine learning to identify parenting features prospectively related to callous-unemotional traits from infancy to early adolescence

  Psychological Medicine · 2026-01-01

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  BACKGROUND: Parenting is related to the development of callous-unemotional (CU) traits (i.e. low empathy and restricted guilt), making it an important target of interventions for childhood conduct problems (CPs). However, the relative importance of different parenting features in relation to the development of CU traits remains unclear. This study used machine learning to examine multiple parenting features assessed across infancy and early childhood as predictors of CU traits and CPs in early adolescence. METHODS: = 1,292; 49% female, 41% Black, and 28% below the poverty line). Seventy-four parenting predictors were assessed at eight time points between children aged 6-90 months using parent-reported questionnaires and observer ratings of videotaped interactions and home visits. CU traits and CPs were assessed via parent-reported questionnaires in preadolescence (12-14 years). RESULTS: Parenting features explained 8.2% of CU traits variability in preadolescence, with top predictors including early sensitive parenting and later behavior management and scaffolding practices. Prediction of CPs was weaker, with parenting explaining 4.5% of the variability. CONCLUSIONS: Results highlight that disruption in close and sensitive early parent-child relationships is relevant to the development of CU traits. Results from the prediction of CPs indicate a more heterogeneous etiology. Findings support targeting parental sensitivity and behavior management within preventative interventions for CU traits and CPs.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Identifying prospective temperament predictors of callous-unemotional traits using machine learning

  European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · 2026-03-19

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  Children with callous-unemotional (CU) traits (i.e., low guilt, restricted empathy) are at high risk for disruptive behavior disorders (DBD) across development. The Sensitivity to Threat and Affiliative Reward (STAR) model posits that low fear and low affiliation (i.e., disrupted social bonding motivation) are temperament dimensions that increase risk for CU traits. However, prior tests of the STAR model are limited by the lack of prospective longitudinal studies and reliance on short-term, single-timepoint, single-measure assessments. We applied machine learning to repeated observational measures of temperament across infancy and preschool to test whether STAR model features (i.e., fear, affiliation), alongside other temperament constructs (e.g., frustration, activity, persistence), predicted CU traits at age 7. Data were from the Family Life Project (FLP), a birth cohort study (N = 1,292) that oversampled families with low household incomes. We used random forest models to predict CU traits and conduct disorder (CD) symptoms at age 7 using 39 features derived from observed temperament measures assessed at ages 6, 15, 24, 35, and 48 months. Models explained only 2% of the variance in CU traits at age 7, with behavioral observations of positive affect and persistence at 48 months among the strongest predictors. Although temperament measures relevant to affiliation were modestly predictive of CU traits, findings overall provide weak evidence for the STAR model.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• 20.3 Adversity, Callous-Unemotional Traits, and Risk for Externalizing Psychopathology in a Propensity-Matched Sample From the ABCD Study

  Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · 2025-10-01

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Longitudinal analysis of the ABCD® study

  Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience · 2025-02-08 · 4 citations

  reviewOpen access

  The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development® (ABCD) Study provides a unique opportunity to investigate developmental processes in a large, diverse cohort of youths, aged approximately 9-10 at baseline and assessed annually for 10 years. Given the size and complexity of the ABCD Study, researchers analyzing its data will encounter a myriad of methodological and analytical considerations. This review provides an examination of key concepts and techniques related to longitudinal analyses of the ABCD Study data, including: (1) characterization of the factors associated with variation in developmental trajectories; (2) assessment of how level and timing of exposures may impact subsequent development; (3) quantification of how variation in developmental domains may be associated with outcomes, including mediation models and reciprocal relationships. We emphasize the importance of selecting appropriate statistical models to address these research questions. By presenting the advantages and potential challenges of longitudinal analyses in the ABCD Study, this review seeks to equip researchers with foundational knowledge and tools to make informed decisions as they navigate and effectively analyze and interpret the multi-dimensional longitudinal data currently available.

  PublisherDOI

• Traumatic birth experiences and maternal caregiving behaviors and attitudes in Black and White women

  Research Square · 2025-11-03

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Evidence for missed cases of postpartum depression based on paediatric clinical care screenings

  The British Journal of Psychiatry · 2025-06-01 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Luke W. Hyde

  University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

  140 shared

• Daniel S. Shaw

  University of Pittsburgh

  118 shared

• Christopher J. Trentacosta

  Wayne State University

  88 shared

• Jody M. Ganiban

  George Washington University

  88 shared

• Jenae M. Neiderhiser

  Cohort (United Kingdom)

  87 shared

• Leslie D. Leve

  University of Oregon

  87 shared

• David Reiss

  Yale University

  87 shared

• Raquel E. Gur

  Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

  74 shared

Labs

• Rebecca Waller LabPI

Education

• PhD/Social Intervention, Department of Social Policy and Intervention

  University of Oxford

  2013

• Masters, Department of Social Policy and Intervention

  University of Oxford

  2010

• BA, Department of Experimental Psychology

  University of Oxford

  2005