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The SPAN lab at Rutgers University, Newark seeks to answer the question of why people respond differently to stress. Stress is ubiquitous – we all experience it on a day to day basis. But how we respond can vary greatly and these differences have implications for our long-term health and well-being. In the SPAN lab, we utilize a multilevel integrative approach, employing theoretical perspectives and methodological techniques across fields, including social neuroscience, developmental psychology, psychophysiology, neuroendocrinology, and genetics, to examine the mechanisms underlying these differences in stress response. The broader goal of this work is to inform more effective and targeted interventions. We take a life-span approach to this work, but are especially interested in stress occurring in early childhood as this is a period of rapid neural and psychological development when stress can have substantial impacts.