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Lea R. Pulkkinen (born 29 October 1939, nee Marttunen, 1961-1975 Pitkänen), is a Finnish psychologist who served at the University of Jyväskylä as Professor of Psychology, Academy Professor (1996-2001), and Director of the National Center of Excellence entitled Human Development and Its Risk Factors (1997-2005). She is a member of Academica Europaea and Finnish Academy of Science and Letters. She served as President of the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development (1991-1996).

Professor Pulkkinen’s research has focused on human development in two longitudinal studies. One of them is the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development that she started in 1968 and in which she has followed from age 8 to 50 the significance of emotion and behavior regulation for individuals’ development in personality, education and career, psychological and social functioning, and health behavior.

Key findings indicate that self-regulation skills in childhood are linked to better psychological and social adjustment in childhood and adolescence, and due to cascading effects of behavior, also in adulthood.

The other longitudinal study is a twin study (FinnTwin 12) on health and behavior from age 12 onwards with Richard J. Rose (Professor of Psychology and Medical Genetics at Indiana University, Bloomington) as Principal Investigator and Jaakko Kaprio (Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at University of Helsinki) and Lea Pulkkinen as Co-Pi’s.

Lea Pulkkinen’s applied work has aimed at advancing children’s psychological development and well-being at home and school. She has served in numerous national and international committees, foundations, and networks for disseminating scientific knowledge. Her publications number up to circa 600.

Professor Lea Pulkkinen has received Finnish Science Prize in 2001, The State Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2011 for information disclosure, Honorary Prize in 2023 for life’s work from the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters, Aristotle Prize in 2003 from the European Federation of Psychologists’ Associations (EFPA), Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Child Development Award 2005 from the Society for Research in Child Development, USA, and other awards and distinctions including Suomen Leijonan komentajamerkki (Commander, First Class, of the Lion of Finland) 2000.

Pulkkinen’s life-time work has been reviewed in her own biographical book 8 and edited volumes.