Girls start believing they aren’t good at math, science and even computers at a young age — but providing fun STEM activities at school and home may spark interest and inspire confidence.A new I-LABS finds that, when exposed to a computer-programming activity, 6-year-old girls expressed greater interest in technology and more positive attitudes about their own skills and abilities than girls … Read More

Naja Ferjan Ramirez and Patricia Kuhl have published a review article titled “The Brain Science of Bilingualism” in Young Children, the journal of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The May issue of Young Children is entirely devoted to brain science, with the goal of connecting the latest brain research to educational policy and practice.  The article summarizes some … Read More

A favorite childhood pastime — swinging on the playground swing set — also may be teaching kids how to get along. The measured, synchronous movement of children on the swings can encourage preschoolers to cooperate on subsequent activities, University of Washington researchers have found. A study by the UW’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) shows the potential of … Read More

I-LABS researchers published a first study to examine implicit self-esteem in both minority and majority elementary school children, the current findings advance our understanding of how implicit self-esteem and explicit academic self-concepts interact during development and are tied to real-world outcomes, such as achievement in school. Children internalize cultural expectations and academic stereotypes about their “in group” at young ages, and … Read More

A new MEG study by Naja Ferjan Ramirez was published in this month’s Developmental Science. Findings indicate that the dual sensitivity of the bilingual brain is achieved by a slower transition from acoustic to phonetic sound analysis. Naja’s photo from the study was featured on the cover of the magazine! Read more here