A new I-LABS study published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences demonstrates a relationship between genes, the brain and human learning. The study, published the week of June 13, 2016, shows that the final grades that college students received in a second-language class were predicted by a combination of genetic and brain factors. Variations in the gene … Read More
World Science Festival Features ‘Brain-to-Brain’ Research
Chantel Prat and Andrea Stocco, faculty researchers at I-LABS, will speak on their breakthroughs in brain-to-brain communication at the 2016 World Science Festival. With collaborators in computer science, Prat and Stocco’s brain-to-brain project has garnered headlines around the world as a leader in discovering how to use technology to help two human brains exchange information directly. The team’s latest achievement, published … Read More
White House Event on Dual Language Learners Showcases I-LABS
The White House Regional Summit on Dual Language Learners, held June 2 in Miami, represents increasing national interest in expanding high-quality early learning opportunities for dual language learners—children who are learning more than one language at the same time. A growing number of young children in the U.S. have a home language other than English, but early childhood programs often … Read More
Ask I-LABS Outreach: How Do Babies Learn Two Languages at Once?
Learn the science behind the linguistic genius of babies, and get tips on how to nurture multilingual development in young children. Very early childhood is the best time to learn multiple languages. Children who experience two languages from birth typically become native speakers of both—something that rarely happens in adulthood. How do babies do it? At I-LABS, I study brain … Read More
Brain Pattern Predicts How Well an Adult Learns a New Language
Learning a new language is one thing that most babies can do better than adults, which makes language learning an excellent example of changes in neural plasticity across the lifespan. Despite this, some adults are better able to learn second languages than others, and researchers at the University of Washington have found that their secret may involve the rhythms of … Read More
Ask I-LABS Outreach: How Similar is Theater to I-LABS Research?
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
National Fellowship Awarded to I-LABS Graduate Student
The National Science Foundation selected I-LABS’ Lindsey Kishline for its prestigious National Graduate Fellowship Program. The fellowship “recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students” and is considered one of the highest achievements bestowed on early career graduate students. Kishline, a second year graduate student in speech and hearing sciences working with I-LABS’ faculty researcher Adrian KC Lee, is interested in how people … Read More
Individual Differences in Dyslexia, a New Research Path at I-LABS
Reading begins as a visual process with the retina seeing letters and transferring that visual information to other areas of the brain for interpretation. But it’s unclear how the visual system contributes to reading disorders such as dyslexia. That’s the aim of a new line of I-LABS research led by faculty researcher Jason Yeatman. Standard treatments for dyslexia target how individuals … 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