The ISland Lab

Understanding how Early Home Environments Influence Neurocognitive Development and Early School Readiness

by Emelie Beattie

About the Lab

Over the summer of 2019 I spent eight weeks working at the Infant Studies of Language and Neurocognitive Development (ISLAND) lab at New York University Steinhardt. The ISLAND lab, also known as the Brito Baby Lab, is a developmental psychology lab interested in the impact of social and language environment on early neurocognitive development. The goal of the lab is to understand how best to support caregivers in ways that foster optimal early child development. There are a number of different longitudinal studies being conducted in the lab, however I worked as a research assistant for the Stress, Home Environment, Language and Learning (SHELL) Study.

The Lab's Logo

the SHELL Study

The SHELL Study is a study that aims to understand how early home environments, including caregiver stress, can influence children’s early language development and learning. Infants between the ages of 0-3 months are enrolled in the study and participate in the study periodically throughout the course of a year. During the study, families are asked to come into the lab once when the infant is 3 months of age, again at 9 months, and finally at 15 months. During lab visits, infant brain activity is recorded using EEG nets, and families complete a series of age-appropriate developmental tasks which are video recorded. This data is then used to compare children’s neurocognitive development across various participant demographics such as socioeconomic status, parent’s experiences of anxiety, and depression. Finally, fecal samples from the infants participating in the study are also collected to determine how stress and early home environments can influence the development of the microbiome.

One of the participants being recorded during a lab visit

Although the lab does center around developmental psychology, the ultimate goal of the lab is to understand how to best support caregivers and create environments that foster optimal child development and early school readiness. The lab’s research is crucial for identifying early developmental risk factors associated with this readiness. As such, the findings from the ISLAND lab have broader implications for public health including the impact that public policy and education can have on early development and health. Specifically, studies conducted at the ISLAND lab can help inform our understanding of how public policy, as well as education, and healthcare systems should best work to support low-income families, families of color, and bilingual families.

My role as a research assistant

Another participant wearing an EEG net while completing a task with their parent

My role as a research assistant working in the ISLAND lab was ever-changing. I spent the majority of my time in the lab running participants through lab visits, working with the families, learning to code participant EEG files, and prepping/organizing participant data. Additionally, I was responsible for many of the labs’ social media accounts, which entailed finding new and creative ways to recruit expecting mothers and those with young infants to participate in the lab’s studies. Because my work at the lab required a certain level of knowledge surrounding developmental psychology, research methods in psychology, and the social determinants of health, much of the CGH coursework that I had taken prior to my time at the lab made a noticeable difference in my ability to understand the study I was helping conduct. This coursework also helped me think about our research’s impact on public health through a bio-psycho-social lens. However, certain research methods used in the SHELL study including the use of an EEG net, various experimental procedures, and the monitoring of heart rates, were unfamiliar to me when I first began as a research assistant. However, becoming familiar with these methods ultimately helped me further my understanding of the study’s broader public health implications.

Takeaways

Overall, my time at the ISLAND lab was a pivotal experience in both my personal growth and development of career interests. Working in a role as versatile as a research assistant in the lab allowed me to identify what aspects of public health interest me most. I was exposed to what it is like to work in a lab, conducting research and working directly with data. However, I was also exposed to what it was like to work directly with the people who will feel the impact of the research the most. It was meaningful to hear about participants’ experiences as parents, their own perceptions of their child’s development, and their hopes/concerns for their child’s future. It was also amazing to witness their child’s participation in our studies, and to track their neurocognitive development in a variety of ways. In noticing that my favorite part about working in the lab was working hands-on with the families participating in the studies, I came to realize that although research is an important aspect of public health, my interest in public health lies in direct service. However, the research I participated in and its emphasis on the importance of wrap-around support for families, ultimately solidified my interest in primary care.

References

Heading Image taken from NYU Steinhardt: https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/

All Other Images taken from the Brito Baby ISLAND Lab Website: http://britobabylab.com/

emelie Beattie

Hi! My name is Emelie, and I am a graduating senior at Macalester College studying Psychology and Community and Global Health. During my time at Macalester I played on the women’s soccer team, studied abroad in Madrid, Spain and volunteered with various healthcare organizations throughout the Twin Cities. I am originally from Seattle, WA and will be returning to Seattle in the Fall of 2021, to continue fulfilling my pre-medical education requirements at the University of Washington.

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