Ongoing Studies

Children learn what they attend to, and selectively attending to relevant information is a fundamental
skill for interacting with the world at large and for early learning. We however know surprisingly little about
how early attention is organized during their everyday experiences. We aim to learn how young children’s
learning context support their attention and leads to efficient learning.
Now we have a child-friendly electroencephalogram device (EEG) to detect the simultaneous
neurobiological signals from the brain while recording the child's play behaviors!
Age Range: 3 months -18 months old

Social attention is a critical component of early language development. This study focuses on
children with autism, children that have siblings with autism, and children that have autism
symptoms during interactions with their parents during play. We aim to learn about childrens'
attention and language input to support early intervention efforts.
Age Range: 3 months - 5 years old

Early free play enriches children's learning. This study aims to document the behaviors of infants and
mothers during natural activity in their homes. We want to learn about babies' everyday experiences in
their homes — such as the things they play with and the places they go.
Age Range: 3 months - 24 months old

Many children learn about their world through multiple language exposure in social interactions.
This study focuses on children from different language backgrounds, including monolingual and
bilingual families, to learn about how different language(s) influence their everyday learning
experiences and how the effect might support cognitive development.
Age Range: newborn - 5 years old

Developmental, Cognitive, & Behavioral Neuroscience