Our research examines how children develop the ability to regulate their behaviour, attention, cognition, and emotions. Our research aims to address questions such as:
1. How do these abilities emerge and develop in the infant, toddler, and preschool years?
2. How do changes in behaviour relate to brain development?
3. What factors put children at risk for developing problems with self–regulation?
The methods that we utilize in the lab are drawn from Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. These include game-like tasks adapted from adult neuropsychological tests and behavioral neuroscience measures, sometimes in conjunction with neuroimaging methods like event-related potentials (ERPs). In addition, we are interested in how contextual and genetic factors (nature and nurture)interact to influence children's developing self-regulatory capacity.