To understand the role of selective attention on perceptual processing and development.

Role of intersensory redundancy on the development of early cognition.

The role of prenatal sensory stimulation on infant social biases and the effects of hormones of maternal origins on social development.

Development of intersensory perception, role of experience in development and the relations between evolutionary and developmental theory.

Our Focus: Development

Our lab focuses on the prenatal origins of perceptual, cognitive, and social development. We use an animal model, the bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus), to identify and explore a range of prenatal and early postnatal experimental facets involved in neonatal behavioral development. Current work is designed to identify the maternally derived features of prenatal experience that facilitate the emergence of critical perceptual and social skills, including social motivation, recognition, learning and memory.