A simple activity played simultaneously helped 8-year-olds feel more connected to each other, according to a new study by an I-LABS researcher. Children who did the same activity – a rhythmic game played on a computer – but not in a synchronous way did not report the same increase in connection. These new findings, by I-LABS postdoctoral fellow Tal-Chen Rabinowitch, … Read More
Patricia Kuhl Reflects on Receiving Prestigious Award
I-LABS co-director Patricia Kuhl is the 2015 recipient of one of the most prestigious scholarly awards in her field: the George A. Miller Prize in Cognitive Neuroscience. The Cognitive Neuroscience Society bestows the award each year to a scientist at the “cutting-edge” of the field and whose work is characterized by “extraordinary innovation and high impact on international scientific thinking.” Citing Kuhl’s “groundbreaking work … Read More
Linking Genes, Brain Pathways to an Individual’s Ability to Learn
Imagine you’re a scholar planning to travel abroad to study. Or maybe you want to take a job overseas. You may know a smattering of the language spoken in the country you’ll be living in, but you’re by no means fluent. What’s the best (and fastest) way to learn a foreign language? Are there any shortcuts to ensure your success? … Read More
Congratulations to Dr. Zhao!
Christina Zhao, a graduate student working with Patricia Kuhl, successfully defended her doctoral dissertation in speech and hearing sciences on March 17. Zhao’s dissertation is titled “Music exposure enhances infants’ neural processing of temporal structure in music and speech.” Coincidentally the same day as her defense, Zhao’s pre-dissertation project examining the interaction between music and speech in adults was published in … Read More
Preview: I-LABS Research at SRCD Meeting
One of the world’s largest and most prestigious scientific conferences will be held March 19-21 in Philadelphia. Held every other year, the Society for Research in Child Development’s meeting attracts thousands of researchers and other experts sharing the latest developments in their field. Numerous scientists and outreach staff from the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences will be among the attendees of the 2015 meeting. … Read More
Updated 3/11/15: #SXSWedu: Brain Science and Early Learning
I-LABS presented research at the South By Southwest EDU conference — check out a Storify showing what the audience had to say. In a first for the Institute, the I-LABS outreach team presented research findings at the South By Southwest EDU conference, called a “mecca for ed-tech” by Education Weekly. The meeting is in its fifth year and is intended to foster … Read More
Year in Review: I-LABS Most Popular News of 2015
Looking back at 2015, here are the discoveries and other accomplishments that received the most attention. Click the links to learn more! Between a steady stream of published research studies, public speaking engagements locally and around the world, and new national accolades—it’s been another record year for I-LABS scientists and outreach staff. January: New Year, New National Recognition What goes … 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
UW, I-LABS Ask: President Obama, Come Speak With Us!
In a UW video inviting President Obama to be the university’s commencement speaker, I-LABS’ research and Patricia Kuhl make a special appearance. Calling on her recent speech at a White House event on early learning, Kuhl says in the UW video that the university has received more federal research dollars than any other public university every year since 1974. She highlighted some … Read More
Listening with Eyes, New Research on How Brain Understands Sound
New research findings by I-LABS’ Ross Maddox and Adrian KC Lee help explain how the brain helps us hear conversations in loud settings. Imagine the common scenario known as the cocktail party effect. You’re in a loud and crowded room, trying to concentrate on what the person next to you is saying. As you strain to hear the spoken words, you’re … Read More