I-LABS co-Director Dr. Patricia Kuhl has been honored with the 2018 American Psychological Association (APA) Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions for her “seminal contributions to understanding the foundations of speech perception in human infancy and the impact of early speech perception on later language acquisition”. The award recognizes scientists for their excellence in theoretical or empirical research in the field … Read More
People of I-LABS: Myles Reilly
People of I-LABS Vibrant, super-smart and caring: these are just a few of the qualities that describe the dozens of interdisciplinary researchers at I-LABS. Their innovative ideas and technological savviness help drive the Institute’s reputation as a world leader in child development and brain science. And their kindness, professionalism and sense of humor greet all of the hundreds of families … Read More
“Parent coaching” boosts early language skills
Teaching parents about communication strategies with their infants has a direct impact on their childrens’ language development according to new I-LABS research published online in Developmental Science. Parents instinctively use a special style of talking with their infants, called “parentese”. However, by coaching parents on the how and why of its importance when the infants were 6 and 10 months of … Read More
Social Learning & the Baby Brain
I-LABS co-Director, Dr. Patricia Kuhl, partnered with Edutopia to create a series of four short, engaging videos that explore infants’ use of social information to learn about the world. Links to each of the videos are below. The Social Brain Masters of Social Learning When the Social Brain Misfires The Social Classroom
How the Baby Brain Represents Lips
I-LABS co-director Andrew Meltzoff, and his colleagues Joni Saby and Peter Marshall, recorded brain activity while touching baby lips, hands, and feet. They documented significant activity over the somatosensory cortex in 60-day-olds. The most prominent activity occurred when infant’s lips were touched. The researchers hypothesize that infant body maps are foundational for imitative learning and self-other connections in early infancy. … Read More
Separating children from families: Relevant scientific evidence
An article jointly written by the Scientific Advisory Group, Early Childhood of the Bezos Family Foundation presents scientific information regarding stress on the brain development of children. It appears in the Brookings Institution report on Future Development. I-LABS co-Directors, Patricia Kuhl and Andrew Meltzoff, are members of the Scientific Advisory Group. Read the article
People of I-LABS: Anna Waismeyer
People of I-LABS Vibrant, super-smart and caring: these are just a few of the qualities that describe the dozens of interdisciplinary researchers at I-LABS. Their innovative ideas and technological savviness help drive the Institute’s reputation as a world leader in child development and brain science. And their kindness, professionalism and sense of humor greet all of the hundreds of families … Read More
People of I-LABS: Julia Mizrahi
People of I-LABS Vibrant, super-smart and caring: these are just a few of the qualities that describe the dozens of interdisciplinary researchers at I-LABS. Their innovative ideas and technological savviness help drive the Institute’s reputation as a world leader in child development and brain science. And their kindness, professionalism and sense of humor greet all of the hundreds of families … Read More
I-LABS wins Facilitator’s Choice in NSF’s STEM for All Video Showcase
Allison Master’s research on girl’s motivation for STEM activities was one of 200 videos in the 2018 STEM for All Video Showcase, and was selected to receive the “Facilitator’s Choice” award. This online event features innovative research sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) that aims to improve STEM learning and teaching. A gender gap exists in interest in programming, computer science … Read More
First 5 California – Keynote
Dr. Andrew Meltzoff delivered the opening keynote at the First 5 California annual summit. His presentation highlighted children’s early brain development and the importance of social interactions between children. From imitating others to the development on empathy, the keynote underscored children’s social nature as they way they learn.