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My interest in psychology dates from my undergraduate major in psychology at UNC Chapel Hill, where I worked with Dr. V. M. LoLordo on studies of operant behavior in pigeons. I received a Masters Degree in General Psychology at Wake Forest University in 1975. My thesis, a study of human conceptual behavior, was a productive collaboration with Dr. Charles Richman. I entered the Ph.D. program in Psychology at the University of Colorado at Boulder with a primary interest in cognitive topics, but under the influence of Dr. Elizabeth Bates, I became interested in understanding the cognitive development of infants. In 1978, I moved to Harvard University to conduct my dissertation on infant categorization and language with Dr. Jerome Kagan. I remained at Harvard as Director of the Harvard Infant Study, collaborating with Kagan and other colleagues on studies of behavioral inhibition. In 1987, I joined the faculty at Yale University and renewed my focus on infant cognitive development. Most of this research was conducted in collaboration with colleagues in the MacArthur Network on Developmental Transitions and with graduate students at Yale.  I returned to UNC Chapel Hill in 1998 to take a position as Professor of Psychology, and I am delighted to be “home”.  I am also affiliated with the Center for Developmental Science (CDS), the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG), the NC Neurodevelopmental Disorders Research Center (NDRC), the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities (CIDD), and the Program for Early Autism Research, Leadership & Service (PEARLS). In addition to my roles as researcher, advisor, and instructor, I also devote considerable time to administrative opportunities. I serve on the Advisory Board of the Center for Developmental Science the NDRC, I co-direct the NDRC's Behavioral Measurement Core and the NDRC Research Participant Registry.  I also play an active role in UNC administration, serving as Associate Dean for First Year Seminars and Academic Experiences, Co-Chair of the Enrollment Excellence Implementation Committee, and I serve on various committees including the Undergraduate Admissions Advisory Committee, the Faculty Athletics Committee, the Ackland Museum Advisory Committee, the Athletic Council, and the Curriculum Enhancement Plan Implementation committee. I have also had extensive involvement with the governance of the Faculty-Staff Recreation Association (aka “The Farm”). I am an active member of the relevant professional organizations in my field and attend many meetings. I founded the Cognitive Development Society, and led the development of SRCD’s newest journal, Child Development Perspectives. I currently serve on the editorial boards of General Psychology Review, the Journal of Cognition and Development, Developmental Science, and Infancy. I currently serve on the SRCD Program Committee, and I am Co-Chair for the SRCD’s biennial meeting, which will be held in Montreal in 2011.