Studies by researchers at the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences are highlighted in a Smithsonian feature about how infant-directed speech (“parentese”) is much more than child’s play—it’s an important learning tool. The Smithsonian story, published online May 28, includes these I-LABS studies: Infant brains ‘rehearse’ speech mechanics while listeningResearch article available here »Also, Discover magazine named this study one of the top science … Read More
‘Shh! Don’t Wake the Baby:’ Toddlers Understand How Noise Influences Others
Watch a young child shouting in a grocery store or banging a spoon on a table and you might think they don’t realize how their racket affects others. A new study shows that toddlers as young as 2 understand that the sounds they make influence the people around them and know how to adapt the loudness of their activities according … Read More
Ethical Questions for Brain-to-Brain Communication
As science makes steps toward brain-to-brain communication, what ethical questions should society consider? Brain-to-brain communication is a topic that will dominate neuroscience for much of this century, according to a story in the May issue of the Smithsonian magazine. As part of a special report “Innovation for Good: Game Changers,” the Smithsonian story profiles University of Washington research in brain-computer interfaces, and … Read More
Largest Hispanic Network in U.S. Features I-LABS
The largest Hispanic network in the U.S., Univision Noticias, recently sought out I-LABS as a resource for what parents can do to help give their children the best start in life. The network sent a Miami-based reporting team of three to report directly from the Institute’s lab in Seattle. The Univision team interviewed I-LABS researchers and collected footage of the I-LABS MEG facility. … Read More
Do Female Teachers Help Girls Overcome STEM Stereotypes?
To get more girls into tech careers we need to counteract negative stereotypes about the field, UW and I-LABS research shows. Women make up only about 20 percent of the recipients of bachelor’s degrees in computer science, creating a large gender disparity. This gap has received ample attention for its causes and what can be done about it. “Women are missing out … Read More
In National Geographic, Patricia Kuhl explains why a baby’s brain holds the key to understanding what it means to be human.
Photo caption: In Patricia Kuhl’s lab at the University of Washington, researchers study brain activity in babies less than a year old using a magnetoencephalography device, which measures the magnetic field around a baby’s scalp, to reveal the pattern of neurons firing. How nature and nurture combine to shape the brain is nowhere more evident than in the development of … Read More
El País: Bilingualism the Best Workout for Brain
The Spanish newspaper El País features I-LABS’ Patricia Kuhl and Andrew Meltzoff in a story about how knowing a second language helps other aspects of cognitive function. The El País story, “Bilingualism: The best workout for your brain,” was published Nov. 24. Earlier this fall, Meltzoff and Kuhl traveled to Madrid to give invited lectures on their research. They also … Read More
Making Steps Toward Brain-to-Brain Communication
I-LABS’ Andrea Stocco and Chantel Prat have shown that information can be transferred from one adult brain to another. Imagine learning something new without studying, becoming alert without a jolt of caffeine, or recovering motor or speech functions after a brain injury without extensive rehabilitation training. Stocco and Prat, of the University of Washington’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, … Read More
Quality of Words, Not Quantity, Is Crucial to Language Skills
A New York Times story describes research from I-LABS and others showing how it will take more than greater exposure to language to narrow the educational gap faced by children from low-income families. The White House held a summit Oct. 16 to talk about how to close the “word gap,” a disparity in which young children from low-income families hear … Read More
Video: Early Childhood Prime Time for Education, Researchers Say
At an event organized by the Seattle Times and Microsoft, Patricia Kuhl and Andrew Meltzoff, I-LABS co-directors, talked about how babies are born learning but their brains need the right inputs. Update Dec. 8, 2014: Watch the Seattle Times’ LiveWire event, “The Case for Early Learning,” on TVW. It will be broadcast Dec. 11, 2-4pm (channel information is online). Or watch it … Read More