Six reasons why working in I-LABS research is like working in theater, provided by a special guest contributor. At first blush, you might think that all that young children and theatrical actors have in common is a tendency to be, shall we say, a touch dramatique? So when I-LABS recently had the pleasure of hosting a student with acting experience, we … Read More
Music Improves Baby Brain Responses to Music and Speech
New I-LABS findings reveal that a musical intervention helped babies learn to detect rhythmic patterns, a skill important for both music and speech. The study, published the week of April 25 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that a series of play sessions with music improved 9-month-old babies’ brain processing of both music and new speech … Read More
Bilingualism Gives Baby Brains Practice in Executive Function
The latest I-LABS discovery reveals that bilingual baby brains have increased activity in executive function regions, suggesting early cognitive benefits to learning multiple languages. The new findings, published online April 4 in Developmental Science, underscore the importance of early childhood as the optimum time for learning multiple languages. The study is the first to use magnetoencephalography to compare whole-brain responses … Read More
Ask I-LABS Outreach: What’s the Big Deal About Screen Media?
How do we make good choices about our children’s use of screen media? The I-LABS Outreach team gives an update on the science and practical strategies for parents. Oh, screen media. A favorite TV show, app, video game, or other digital entertainment can hold—and sometimes consume—a child’s attention. It’s a convenient tool for parents who need an uninterrupted moment to … Read More
Training the Brain to Maintain Attention
A study underway at I-LABS uses neurofeedback to help train the brain to maintain attention while reading. Upon receiving her ADHD diagnosis at age 17, Marissa Pighin remembers her first interaction with her doctor as, “‘I’ll write you a ‘script and send you out the door.’” Pighin, now 22 and a UW psychology honors student, thought that there must be … Read More
Ask I-LABS Outreach: How can I make my child exceptionally smart?
The question comes in different forms. Parents ask, “What can I do to make sure my child is successful later in life?,” “How can I help my toddler be ready to enter kindergarten?,” and even “I want my child to be gifted—what can I do to ensure that?” In this inaugural installment of a new series “Ask I-LABS Outreach,” we’ll … Read More
Ask I-LABS Outreach: Announcing a New Series
When they’re out on the road, the I-LABS Outreach team fields a lot of the same questions from parents, educators and others working with young children. People are concerned about pressure to make kids smart and bilingual. They want guidance on allowing digital media in their home. They’re curious about brain development. They all want to know how to give … Read More
What Black Adolescents Say about Stereotypes
What does it mean to be young, Black and male? In what ways do Black male youths accommodate and resist the social stereotypes of their demographic? And how does this shape Black boys’ development of their own identity, and who they become? These are among the questions Onnie Rogers explored with Black urban teenagers in a recently published paper in … Read More
Two Human Brains Linked, Play ’20 Questions’
In the latest advance in brain-to-brain communication, I-LABS researchers demonstrate how two brains collaboratively problem solve. University of Washington researchers recently used a direct brain-to-brain connection to enable pairs of participants to play a question-and-answer game by transmitting signals from one brain to the other over the Internet. The experiment, detailed September 23 in PLOS ONE, is thought to be … Read More
Babies’ Brain Responses to Touch Reveal Body Map
See an adorable baby and it can be hard to resist reaching out for a cuddle. The sense of touch is the earliest form of communication between babies and their caregivers. It’s one way we say “I love you” long before infants understand language. Now scientists at the University of Washington’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) and Temple … Read More