Brains are marvels of biological engineering. With 86 billion neurons and trillions of connections, human brains are the most complex structures in the known universe. But where does this structure come from? How does a mass of brain tissue develop into a coordinated,...
As human adults, we spend a great deal of our daily lives figuring out whether, when, and how to deploy effort in the face of obstacles. Should we continue to try to complete a hard workout, or is it a fool’s errand? Should we endeavor to get that grant proposal in,...
Faces play a crucial role in human interaction. They are among the most captivating and salient stimuli, essential to set the foundation for social connection and information sharing. It therefore doesn’t seem so implausible that the ability to discriminate faces from...
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most prevalent neurodevelopmental condition, affecting ~8% of children in the U.S.1 With an average age of diagnosis of approximately 7 years, by the time it’s typically detected, intervention can already be a...
Have you ever wondered why people respond so differently to the same stressful situation? My research focuses on understanding this question by studying individual differences in social and emotional development. Specifically, I investigate why and how infants and...
On January 14, the field of language acquisition lost one of its founding mothers, Lois Bloom. After graduating with a Ph.D. from Columbia University, where she studied with famed sociolinguist William Labov in the Department of Linguistics, she moved to Teacher’s...
