2014 Media Coverage
12/9/2014 - UW | 360
Early childhood development tips
Scientists have learned much about the preschool brain over the past decade, but unless they read medical journals, most parents and caregivers have yet to hear about those discoveries. I-LABS is changing that, in part through a series of free online modules that teach everything from early interactions to understanding emotions. Sarah Roseberry Lytle, I-LABS director of outreach, is interviewed.
More coverage of I-LABS Outreach Modules »
11/26/2014 - Discover Magazine
Top 100 stories of 2014: From the mouths of babes
How does a babbling baby become a talking tyke? Researchers led by Patricia Kuhl, co-director of the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, have found part of the answer. Toward the end of the first year of life, they discovered, two brain areas begin coordinating to help babies figure out speech.
Read more about this discovery »
11/24/2014 - El País
Bilingualism: The best workout for your brain
Knowing a second language helps other aspects of cognitive function, and I-LABS co-directors Patricia Kuhl and Andrew Meltzoff talk about research showing brain benefits of bilingualism. This story, published in a Spanish newspaper, coincided with a trip by Kuhl and Meltzoff to see early learning in action in Spain, meet with Spanish officials and give invited lectures.
Read more about the I-LABS trip to Spain »
11/17/2014 - University of Washington news release
Major brain pathway rediscovered after century-old confusion, controversy
A couple of years ago a scientist looking at dozens of MRI scans of human brains noticed something surprising. A large, fiber pathway that wasn't t mentioned in any of the modern-day anatomy textbooks he had. Jason Yeatman, of the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, and his colleagues at Stanford University report their detective work to figure out the identity of the mysterious fiber bundle.
Read a Q&A with the researchers, see additional media coverage of the rediscovered brain pathway»
11/17/2014 - The Guardian
Major brain pathway rediscovered
A massive white matter tract at the back of the brain, overlooked for the past century, might be crucial for skills such as reading. Jason Yeatman, post-doctoral fellow at the Institute for Learning & Brain Science and lead researcher, is quoted.
11/18/2014 - Washington Post
A vital brain structure was forgotten for 100 years because scientists couldn't agree
A group of researchers has tracked the complicated history of a long-forgotten neural pathway. Jason Yeatman, post-doctoral fellow at the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences and lead researcher, is quoted.
11/17/2014 - KUOW
Scientists discover secret corridor of brain, lost for 100 years
Two years ago Jason Yeatman, a researcher at the UW, stumbled into a secret corridor of the mind.
11/5/2014 - University of Washington news release
UW study shows direct brain interface between humans
UW researchers have successfully replicated a direct brain-to-brain connection between pairs of people as part of a scientific study following the team’s initial demonstration in 2013. Andrea Stocco and Chantel Prat, of the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, and Rajesh Rao, a UW professor of computer science and engineering, are collaborators on the research.
Read more, see additional media coverage of the brain-to-brain communication work »
11/14/2014 - NBC News.com
Wishful thinking: Can scientists read your brain?
While great advances in understanding the brain are being made, no one's going to be taking a sci-fi worthy peek inside your cranium anytime soon. UW research is cited.
11/7/2014 - Washington Post
A breakthrough in brain-to-brain communication using a video game
Scientists from the UW have proven it's possible for people to communicate using only their brains. Specifically, they showed that a player of a shooter-style video game could trigger another player to fire a cannon just by thinking "fire."
11/2014 - Scientific American Mind
When two brains connect
The dawn of human brain-to-brain communication has arrived. I-LABS' Andrea Stocco and UW collaborator Rajesh Rao talk about their direct brain interface research, including related ethical dilemmas.
11/4/2014 - Seattle Times
Warm, bright, quiet: Students do best in well-designed classrooms
A growing body of scientific evidence on the importance of a classroom’s physical environment. A policy paper -- co-authored by Andrew Meltzoff, co-director of the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, and his UW collaborator Sapna Cheryan -- says that classroom decor also has an effect on classroom learning.
Read more, see additional media coverage of the classroom design research »
10/16/2014 - New York Times
Quality of words, not quantity, is crucial to language skills, study finds
A new study points to the importance of high-quality communication with young children. Patricia Kuhl, a director of the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, is quoted.
Read more about how quality, not quantity, of words is important for narrowing the word gap »
10/7/2014 - University of Washington news release
Toddlers regulate behavior to avoid making adults angry
Children as young as 15 months can detect anger when watching other people’s social interactions and then use that emotional information to guide their own behavior, according to a new research paper by Andrew Meltzoff and Betty Repacholi of the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences.
Read more, see additional media coverage of the research »
10/8/2014 - The Atlantic
When do babies learn self-control?
A new study looks at when kids are able to use social cues to regulate their behavior. Andrew Meltzoff, co-author of the study and co-director of Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, is quoted.
10/10/2014 - Huffington Post
Watch what really happens when toddlers see you angry
A video posted recently by UW's Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences shows an experiment in which a 15-month-old boy must decide whether to play with some beads after witnessing an adult get angry when someone else makes noise playing with them.
10/17/2014 - Seattle Times
UW viral video: Toddler leaves toy alone to avoid an adult's anger
Move over marshmallow test, there's a new video showing the struggles of a toddler to control his impulses and it comes right out of the UW.
10/16/2014 - Seattle Times
Panelists push for need, funding of early-childhood education
Scientists and politicians brought their expertise Wednesday night to a intense discussion about the importance of early childhood education. Patricia Kuhl and Andrew Meltzoff, co-directors of the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, participated.
10/12/2014 - KUOW
Talk to your baby: Her brain depends on it
There's a simple step parents can take to help keep their children on course, starting in year one, something most people take for granted: Baby talk. Patricia Kuhl, co-director of the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, is quoted.
10/11/2014 - New York Times
Is e-reading to your toddler story time, or simply screen time?
Patricia Kuhl, a co-director of the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, is quoted.
9/28/2014 - Seattle Times
What makes kids do their best? UW fellow is trying to find out
Seattle Times columnist Jerry Large writes about the work of Leoandra Onnie Rogers, post-doctoral fellow with I-LABS.
9/24/2014 - Pacific Standard
How a second language trains your brain for math
Second languages strengthen the brain's executive control circuits, with benefits beyond words. Andrea Stocco and Chantel Prat, of the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, show that the basal ganglia may be a key player in bilinguals' improved executive function.
Read more about the research »
8/25/2014 - University of Washington news release
Learning by watching, toddlers show intuitive understanding of probability
In a study led by Anna Waismeyer and Andrew Meltzoff of the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, toddlers could tell the difference between two different ways an experimenter played a game, with one strategy being more successful than the other. When it was their turn to play, the children could use the more successful strategy that they observed to increase their odds of winning.
More media coverage of this research »
8/26/2014 - KPLU
Toddlers can figure out a game of chance quicker than you might think
Toddlers use intuition for probability to their advantage, according to a new study led by researchers at the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences.
7/30/2014 - Seattle Times
Guest: The critical role of doctors in early learning
Brain and economic research unequivocally demonstrate that the earliest experiences matter the most, two pediatricians wrote in a letter to the editor. Families must be taught how language develops, and support them so that they talk and read regularly with their children, starting in infancy. Research from the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences is cited.
7/27/2014 - Seattle Times
Using your brain to capacity, no miracles necessary
One of the benefits of recent brain research is the advances in understanding how to protect and nurture our brains from the start of life, columnist Jerry Large wrote. The Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences has been at the forefront of much of that research, he added.
7/14/2014 - University of Washington news release
Months before their first words, babies' brains rehearse speech mechanics
Infants can tell the difference between the sounds of all languages until about 8 months of age, when their brains begin to focus on the sounds they hear around them. It's been unclear how this transition occurs. Researchers at the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences show that speech sounds stimulate areas of the brain that coordinate and plan motor movements for speech.
See additional media coverage »
7/16/2014 - National Public Radio
Even among babies, practice makes perfect
Babies as young as 7 months old are already rehearsing the motions behind speech, even though they can't talk yet. NPR talks with Patricia Kuhl, co-director of the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences.
7/19/2014 - Washington Post
Babies grasp speech before they utter their first word, a study finds
A new UW study has found that a key part of the brain involved in forming speech is firing away in babies as they listen to voices around them.
7/15/2014 - Fox News & Business
Baby talk: Infants may practice words in their minds
Months before they say their first real "mama" or "dada," babies are practicing those words in their heads, new research by the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences suggests.
7/15/2014 - ABC News: Good Morning America
Baby talk could boost babies' brain power
Patricia Kuhl, co-director of UW's Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, talks to "Good Morning America" about the benefits of baby talk.
6/2/2014 - University of Washington news release
UW experts offer free resources to help caregivers boost babies' brains
Researchers at the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences are offering a free library of resources showcasing the latest research in how young children learn. Sarah Roseberry Lytle, director of outreach at I-LABS, is quoted.
7/12/2014 - Associated Press
No gadgets required: Parents' talking aids baby brain growth
Scientists have learned a lot about the preschool brain over the past decade. But unless they read medical journals, most parents and others who care for their young children have yet to hear about those discoveries. Patricia Kuhl talks about I-LABS' new series of online learning modules that explain baby brain development and what to do with that knowledge.
6/9/2014 - Seattle Times
New video offers research-based tips to boost early learning
The Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences is putting its research into action by offering parents and other caregivers virtual lessons in how they can support early brain development.
6/24/2014 - KPLU
Wash. scientists cheer docs' push to read to kids starting at birth -- or earlier
The nation’s largest association of pediatricians is recommending parents read to their children starting at birth. Sarah Roseberry Lytle, outreach director at the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, talks about research showing how spoken communications enrich a baby’s developing brain right from the beginning.
6/23/2014 - Dallas Morning News
Mayors, here's your brain on early childhood education
The nation’s mayors had a crash course in neuroscience from brain expert Patricia Kuhl, of the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences. She showed them research about how much early childhood education makes a difference and how the interaction and experiences children have from birth to five determine what kind of connections in the brain stay over a lifetime.
6/16/2014 - Huffington Post
For Father's Day, get rid working-father myths
There is still a lot of confusion around men and their roles in family life. Research on "parentese" by Patricia Kuhl, co-director of the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, is mentioned as something both mothers and fathers do to help their children learn.
4/29/2014 - South China Morning Post
It's never too early for children to learn a second language, say experts
In case parents are worried that it might be too taxing for children to learn more than one language while they are young, studies by American brain development experts Andrew Meltzoff and Patricia Kuhl show otherwise.
3/27/2014 - ParentMap
2014 superheroes for Washington families
A profile of Patricia Kuhl and Andrew Meltzoff, co-directors of the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, describes them as both big thinkers and big dreamers.
3/30/2014 - Seattle Times
Pilot program gives parents tools to boost babies' brains
Scientists have made compelling discoveries about how babies and young children build the neurological connections they need to understand their world. A recently launched program aims to put those discoveries — and a toolbox of practical tips on how to use them — in the hands of more parents. Patricia Kuhl, co-director of the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, is quoted.
1/6/2014 - University of Washington news release
Babbling babies -- responding to one-on-one 'baby talk' -- master more words
Common advice to new parents is that the more words babies hear the faster their vocabulary grows. Now new findings from the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences show that what spurs early language development isn’t so much the quantity of words as the style of speech and social context in which speech occurs.
Read more, see additional media coverage on the research paper »
1/6/2014 - KUOW
'Baby talk' helps babies learn to speak more quickly
Patricia Kuhl, co-director of the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, discusses her new study on the benefits of “parent-ese," or baby talk.
1/2014 - Slate
Baby talk really does help build your Kiddy-Widdy's vocabulary
An amusing video depicts research from the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences showing how speaking in "parentese'' -- using a sing-song voice and stretching out the sounds of words -- helps babies learn words.