Verena Buren

Verena Buren is a Lecturer at the Department of Professional and Interdisciplinary Skills at Justus Liebig University, Gießen, and a PhD Student at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics in Frankfurt. Her research focuses on the intersection of music, child development, and prosocial behavior. She holds a Master of Science in Psychology from Justus Liebig University, where she also completed the PreProPsych predoctoral program in Developmental Psychology. Her work explores how joint musical activities influence prosocial behavior in young children and the developmental trajectories of musical abilities. Buren has contributed to peer-reviewed journals such as Frontiers in Psychology and PLOS ONE, focusing on topics like screening tools for musical profiles in children and the role of active music-making in fostering social skills.

• Education: MSc Psychology (2019, Justus Liebig), BSc Psychology (2012), BA Media Management (2009)
• Professional Roles: Lecturer since 2015, Research Assistant at Max Planck Institute since 2019

Her research interests include the developmental origins of musical taste, the impact of musical education on social competence, and the cognitive mechanisms underlying early musical engagement. Buren has also served as a music teacher in kindergartens and an academic tutor in developmental psychology.