In the first few years of life, children begin to piece together an awareness of the thoughts, feelings and desires of the people around them, gradually building skills to help them succeed in our social world. While many studies have examined development in toddlers and preschoolers, few have looked at infants to see which early social skills are linked to … Read More
Chantel Prat Describes Her Research in New Book
New book illuminates individual differences in brain function Most of us understand, on some level, that our unique ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving are related to the mechanics of our individual brains. Yet the majority of neuroscience research has focused on group averages—a way of sketching “typical” patterns of brain functioning. Professor Chantel Prat argues that this approach has moved the … Read More
Opinion: the culture around Computer Science, Engineering excludes women and girls
Scientific American piece argues for changing the male-oriented culture of these fields How can we address the gender imbalance of those receiving computer science and engineering degrees? Understand how the cultures of these fields dissuade many women and young girls from becoming interested in this work. So argues Andrew Meltzoff of I-LABS, and his colleagues Sapna Cheryan (University of Washington) and … Read More
KC Lee comments on the soundscape experienced by pioneers
Auditory soundscape experienced by American pioneers may have contributed to mental health issues I-LABS faculty member and auditory neuroscientist Adrian KC Lee offers scientific rationale behind a new account of early settlers and the silence surrounding them in the vast landscape. This article describes the incidence of “prairie madness” among rural farm families in the Great Plains. Read the article here.
Learning to read online is possible and doable
Early Learning Nation spotlights I-LABS research on teaching early literacy skills online Because reading is a foundational skill for participation in the modern world, educators and researchers are keenly aware of the urgency in finding solutions to early literacy learning. While online learning seems like an attractive possibility, scant research existed to see if that was even possible. The I-LABS … Read More
I-LABS co-Director Andrew Meltzoff weighs in on the question “What’s Your Challenge to American Dads?”
In time for Father’s Day, a group of thoughtful leaders were asked to respond to the prompt “what’s your challenge to American dads?”. The answers are inspiring. See what Dr. Andrew Meltzoff said (hint: imitation). This article from Early Learning Nation also includes a short video of his research. Read the article
New Research: Online ‘Camp’ Teaches Preschoolers the Fundamentals of Reading
Previous research has shown that well-structured teaching of phonological awareness, letter knowledge, and letter-to-sound mapping is crucial in building a solid foundation when learning to read. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, children worldwide did not have access to consistent and structured teaching and are, as a consequence, predicted to be behind in the development of their reading skills. New research from … Read More
Babies act altruistically – when they know you need help
I-LABS researchers wanted to test whether human infants were able to act beyond self-interest, when faced with one of the most fundamental biological needs: food. Dr. Rodolfo Cortes Barragan’s work on the roots of altruism in children is featured in this article by Early Learning Nation, a magazine devoted to early learning, the science of the developing brain, and more. … Read More
Latinx Fathers Use Parentese
Research from I-LABS’ Dr. Naja Ferjan Ramirez shows that Latinx fathers are quite skilled at using parentese to help their children’s language development. This is true despite the fact that the dads in the study were not taught how to use parentese. The slower speech, exaggerated tones, and higher pitch just came naturally. Read about the research in Early Learning … Read More
Join the discussion: Patricia Kuhl explores impacts of COVID on early childhood development
An online discussion was held with Dr. Patricia Kuhl, co-Director of I-LABS, as she talked about the ways that the global pandemic has affected learning for young children. The National Academy of Sciences hosted a discussion about potential impacts to learning due to COVID-19 isolation. Dr. Kuhl was interviewed by Peabody award-winning writer and producer Wendy Calhoun, followed by a full … Read More