Current Research
EEG Study of Child Development
A number of research studies have found socioeconomic disparities in children’s self-regulatory development. This study aims to follow 100 children through middle childhood into early adolescence to understand how brain function and self-regulation develop during this important period. Specifically, the study will help us understand differences in children’s experiences, how parents and children experience stress, and how children’s brains function while they are making decisions. Through this work, we hope to identify risk and resilience factors that impact children’s self-regulatory development and inform the design of effective intervention strategies and policy. This study is a collaboration with Dr. Patti Davies.
MRI Study of Inhibitory Control
Increasing evidence points to links among childhood experiences, stress, and inhibitory control. In this MRI study, we focus on stress physiology and brain function during inhibitory control in 30 18- to 19-year-olds. This research will help us understand how childhood experiences and stress may lead to different brain activity patterns that support inhibitory control. Findings from this research will contribute to greater precision in identifying effective prevention and intervention strategies for broader portions of the population. This study is a collaboration with Dr. Michael Thomas.
Providing School Readiness Activities to Support Learning Over the Summer
A growing body of research has determined that providing young children with early interventions and educational programs improves school readiness and is crucial to reducing socioeconomic disparities in educational achievement. This study will introduce Getting Ready for School (GRS) to parents and/or preschool teachers as a set of learning activities that have been found to bolster children’s school readiness prior to school entry. This research will demonstrate the implementation of GRS to parents and teachers and assess uses of these learning activities within the context of existing early care and education programs. Through this work, we hope to support local children’s learning and development as well as inform effective intervention strategies and policy.
If you are interested in participating in a study listed above, please complete this form.
