CNS 2021 Press Release In the world of neurodevelopment, one thing is clear: the earlier the intervention the better. Infancy is a critical time in brain development, and neuroscientists are increasingly identifying factors that can negatively impact cognition and ones that can improve cognition early in life. At the annual meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience […]
Maximizing the Number of Brains Studying the Brain
Q&A with Damien Fair, MacArthur “Genius Grant” Recipient Although the global pandemic has slowed his lab’s data collection to a halt, COVID-19 has nothing on cognitive neuroscientist Damien Fair. In the middle of the global health crisis, he moved from Oregon Health & Science University to the University of Minnesota, began the Masonic Institute for […]
From Scaffolding to Screens: Understanding the Developing Brain for Reading
CNS 2020 Press Release May 4, 2020 – In the debate about nature versus nurture for developing reading skills, cognitive neuroscientists have a clear message: both matter. From infancy, children have a neural scaffolding in place upon which environmental factors refine and build reading skills. In new work being presented today at the Cognitive Neuroscience […]
It’s All Relative: Cooperation Makes People A Special Type of Ape
Q&A with Michael Tomasello When Michael Tomasello was an undergraduate student at Duke University studying developmental psychology, he studied the theories of Jean Piaget, a psychologist who thought evolutionarily. “He was looking at children like they were a different species,” Tomasello recalls. “He would always emphasize that they have their own way and own logic, […]
Machine Learning to Help Move Beyond Diagnostic Labels for Struggling Learners
Anyone who has ever worked with children who are struggling at learning – whether a parent or teacher – knows that diagnostic labels can only go so far in helping individuals. While receiving a diagnosis is an important landmark moment for children and families, is it enough information to guide those who are trying to […]
Learning What to Learn: Lessons from Cognitive Neuroscience for Education
How do we learn what to learn? This fundamental question drives the work of Rachel Wu at the University of California, Riverside. Before we can learn anything, we need to know what to pay attention to. From infancy, people are bombarded with distractions that can make that challenging. While there is a wealth of cognitive […]
Prenatal Stress Changes Brain Connectivity In-Utero: New Findings from Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
CNS 2018 Press Release March 26, 2018 – Boston – The time babies spend in the womb is far from idle. The brain is changing more rapidly during this time than at any other time in development. It is an active time for the fetus to grow and explore, and of course connect to its […]
