Biography
Ryno Kruger, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Developmental Psychology whose research examines how children come to understand and navigate their social world. His work investigates the development of social cognition, with a particular focus on person perception—the processes by which people form impressions of others from facial appearance, infer traits and emotions, categorize individuals into social groups, and develop beliefs about other people.
Research Interests
Dr. Kruger's research explores the cognitive mechanisms that underlie social judgments, stereotypes, and decision-making in childhood. His recent work examines how facial appearance interacts with stereotypes, and how children develop beliefs about who is likely to succeed in different social and occupational roles. More broadly, his research seeks to understand how visual, emotional, and social information is integrated to shape children's perceptions, biases, and interpersonal behavior, and whether continuity exists across development.
Using behavioral experiments and computational approaches, Dr. Kruger's lab investigates fundamental questions about the origins of social cognition and the developmental processes that give rise to first impressions, and social beliefs and behaviors. By uncovering how children perceive and reason about other people, his work aims to advance our understanding of the cognitive foundations of social behavior and inform efforts to foster more accurate social judgments across development.
Education
· Ph.D., Developmental Psychology, Emory University
· M.A., Developmental Psychology, Emory University
· B.S. (Honors), Psychology, Brigham Young University
Publications
Lourenco, S.F., Novack, K., Kruger, R., Tasimi, A. (2026). Gender representation begets gender representation. Plos One. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/hkjsr_v1
Kruger, R., ꝉLevy, C., & Lourenco, S. F. (2026). Children Do Not Endorse a “Male=
Brilliance” Stereotype When Reasoning About Novel Occupations. Developmental Science, 29(2), e70154.
Kruger, R., Lourenco, S.F. (2025). Facial dominance overrides gender in children’s stereotypes about intelligence. Scientific Reports, 15, 3065.
Wood, E. K., Baron, Z., Kruger, R., Halter, C., Gabrielle, N., Neville, L., ... & Higley, J. D.
(2023). Variation in the serotonin transporter genotype is associated with maternal
restraint and rejection of infants: A nonhuman primate (Macaca mulatta) model. Plos One, 18(4), e0281935.
Kruger, R., *Wood, E.K., Day, S.M., Pingel, J.M., Schwandt, M.L., Lindell, S.G., Davis, E.,
Suomi, S.J., Barr, C.S., & Higley, J.D. (2021). A nonhuman primate model of human non-
suicidal self-injury: serotonin-transporter genotype-mediated typologies. Neuropsychopharmacology, 1-7.
Kruger, R., *Wood, E. K., Cash, E., Lindell, S. G., Schwandt, M., Barr, C. S., Suomi, S. J.,
Higley, J. D. (2019). Early behavioral indications of an anxious-like temperament are
associated with excessive alcohol intake in adolescence: A Rhesus Monkey (Macaca
mulatta) model. Addiction Biology, (Online, 2019).
Kruger, R., & Higley, J. D. (2019). Oxytocin and social affiliation: A study of the genetic
underpinnings behind social behavior in Rhesus Macaques. Journal of Undergraduate
Research, 2019 (2019), 48.
Wood, E. K., Kruger, R., Bennion, A., Cooke, B. M., Lindell, S., Schwandt, M., Goldman, D.,
Barr, C. S., Suomi, S. J., Higley, J. D. (2018). Low inherent sensitivity to the intoxicating
effects of ethanol in Rhesus monkeys with low CSF concentrations of the serotonin
metabolite 5-Hydroxyindoleacetic acid. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research,
42(2), 424-431.