Research Methods
To better understand the role of the early environment on the infant brain, our lab's work combines electroencephalography (EEG) techniques with robust behavioral methods. EEG is a non-invasive method to examine electrical activity in the brain. EEG is considered by many to be one of the most efficient and relatively inexpensive methods for examining developmental changes in brain function. EEG is also among the best tolerated methods for assessing brain function in infants.
We also use observational tools to assess parent-child interactions. Current research has confirmed that the quality of the caregiver-child relationship influences the child’s emotional and behavioral development. The use of observational tools can be useful to researchers and clinicians who wish to understand relationship quality between parents and children.
Along with utilizing self-report data, we aim to fully understand the psychological effects of prenatal maternal metabolic disorders and prenatal maternal mood disorders on new parents and their children.
Visual attention refers to an infant’s ability to focus on and selectively process visual stimuli in their surroundings. Infants rely heavily on their visual abilities to explore and learn about their environment, engage in object recognition, as well as establish social connections with the people around them. The ability to selectively attend to relevant information while filtering out irrelevant information is important for perceptual development, and serves as the foundation for all perceptive, learning, and memory behavior.
We use eye tracking to investigate how visual attention develops during infancy.
The last decade has seen increased availability and use of mobile electroencephalography (EEG). Mobile EEG data collection is an exciting new frontier for developmental science, as it is likely to allow for the collection of neural activity in novel environments and populations.
The use of mobile EEG both inside and outside the laboratory environment allows electrophysiological research to begin asking new questions and to use novel methods to address old ones.