Seth Pollak

Seth Pollak is the Vaughan Bascom Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He holds appointments in the Department of Psychology, the LaFollette School of Public Affairs, the Department of Anthropology, the Department of Pediatrics, the Waisman Center, and the Institute for Research on Poverty. His research focuses on children’s brain and cognitive development, particularly the emergence of emotions, socio-emotional learning, and the impact of adversity and poverty on child health.

Dr. Pollak’s work has been recognized with prestigious awards, including the American Psychological Association’s Distinguished Early Career Award, the APS James McKeen Cattell Award, and election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is also a Guggenheim Fellow and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Association for Psychological Science.

His research explores how early experiences shape emotion understanding and decision-making, with recent studies addressing childhood unpredictability, probabilistic learning, and the neurobiological effects of stress. Key findings include the role of cortisol in adversity and the importance of context in children’s emotion recognition.

• Key Affiliations: Psychology, Pediatrics, Public Affairs, Anthropology
• Lab: Child Emotion Research Lab
• Recent Focus: Decision-making in adversity, emotion learning, and policy implications of child poverty.

Publications highlight interdisciplinary approaches, combining neuroscience, developmental psychology, and public health to address societal challenges.