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Current
Research Interests
My primary research interest is infant cognitive development
and how cognitive abilities change over the first few years of life. Within
the broad palette of infant cognitive abilities, I am particularly interested
in short-term working memory and attention, and also in early language,
categorization, and aspects of perception. Ongoing research in my laboratories
in the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute and the Psychology
Department’s Community Research Facility, investigate developmental changes
in short-term working memory capacity in infants and toddlers using various
procedures (e.g., a modified 'peek-a-boo' game in which a face appears at one
of several locations and then disappears, or a hide-and-find game in which
the child attempts at find a hidden object). Recent studies suggest
that 5-6 months is the earliest manifestation of this type of memory, with
steady improvement in memory capacity in the subsequent months and years.
We have also conducted research on attention and on local versus global
perception in this same age range, and I am open to collaborating on additional
research that addresses any other aspect of early cognitive
development.
I also have a
strong research interest in autism. In
collaboration with my colleagues Grace Baranek, Linda Watson, and Betsy
Crais, we developed the First Year Inventory (FYI), which is a parent-report
instrument designed to identify infants who will eventually receive a
diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
It has taken us several years to develop and validate the FYI, but now
that it is well established, we have expanded our research team and our
research interests in order to use the FYI to study development in infants
who are at risk and to explore the efficacy of early interventions. We
recently received funding from the Autism Speaks Foundation to update the FYI
and to expand its age range to include 8-18 months. This project began in July 2010 and will
continue for 3 years. ASD is not my
primary zone of expertise, but my knowledge and skills in infant cognitive
development provide a relevant perspective in my collaborations with autism
experts and with autism trainees.
Students who seek training in developmental disabilities and ASD per
se would not be well served by our Developmental Program, but I have had
successful relationships with many undergraduate and graduate students who
have a primary interest in cognition and its relevance in both typical and
atypical development.
I have been
involved in several recent collaborations that have re-energized my interest
in a phenomenon that can be labeled parent perception of infant
intentionality (PPII). PPII is related
to parenting practices that emerge within the normal range of parenting
behavior and also to parenting behavior that is classified as child
maltreatment and abuse.
Finally, I am
interested in nutritional influences on infant cognitive development. In
collaboration with Carol Cheatham and Steven Zeisel at the Nutrition Research
Institute in Kannapolis, NC, we are exploring how dietary interventions in
pregnant and lactating mothers (e.g., supplemental consumption of choline) affect
infant cognitive development. This is
not my primary zone of expertise, but I am very interested in nutrition, and
I am confident that I bring a relevant perspective to the table.
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