Rate My Professor Kirsten Li-Barber

Kirsten Li-Barber is the Chair and Associate Professor of Psychology at High Point University, where she has been a faculty member since August 2008. She advanced from Assistant Professor (2008-2015) to Associate Professor (2015-present) and served as Interim Department Chair (2021-2022) before assuming the role of Chair in 2022. Li-Barber earned her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2008, with minors in Psychopathology, Quantitative Methods, and Educational Psychology; her dissertation examined the social profile of children and adolescents with Williams syndrome and the influence of parental management on friendship networks. She holds an M.S. in Developmental Psychology (2006) from the same university and a B.A. in Psychology (2003) from Hanover College. Prior to her full-time position at High Point University, she taught Introduction to Psychology, Child Psychology, and Life Span Human Development at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Cardinal Stritch University.

Li-Barber's research in developmental psychology centers on social development in children with developmental disabilities, such as Williams syndrome; parental management behaviors, including monitoring and organizing playdates, and their relation to children's peer friendships; and parent-adolescent relationships during the transition to college, encompassing relationship quality, stress, social support, and academic success. Her peer-reviewed publications include "Parent and Teacher Perspectives About Problem Behavior in Children With Williams Syndrome" (2015, American Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities), "Self-disclosure and Student Levels of Satisfaction with Facebook" (2012, Computers in Human Behavior), "Honing in on the Social Phenotype in Williams Syndrome Using Multiple Measures and Multiple Raters" (2011, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders), "Collaborating in the Community: Fostering Identity and Creative Expression in an Afterschool Program" (2016, Journal of Language and Literacy Education), and a book chapter "Call me Dr. Ruth Howard: First African American Woman to Earn a PhD in Psychology" (2023, Routledge). She has received the Sigma Xi Grant-in-Aid of Research (2004-2005), APA Student Travel Award (2004), Graduate School Travel Award (2007), and Chancellor Fellowship (2003-2005). Li-Barber has presented extensively at conferences including the Association for Psychological Science and Society for Research in Child Development, often collaborating with undergraduate students on posters and publications.