Current Projects

An important building block for successful social interaction is biobehavioral synchrony, a state of inter-subject coupling of behavioral and neurobiological activity over time that allows us to have shared representations and shared emotional states with others. In our ongoing meta-analysis, we examine the association between measures of dyadic, biobehavioral synchrony and child cognitive outcomes.

Project Website: https://biobehavioralsynch.weebly.com

Biobehavioral Synchrony

Early supportive caregiving relationships can mitigate the potential negative effects of early adversity. Early childhood presents a window for intervention in the caregiver-child relationship, with the potential to leave a lasting impact on future outcomes. The current project uses a collection of recorded caregiver-child interactions from a scalable, conceptually-based, and innovative early video coaching intervention in families experiencing economic adversity. In this project, we are creating and applying comprehensive coding systems for capturing dyadic processes between young children and caregivers.

Early Caregiving Interactions

Dyadic Mechanisms of Intervention

Early preventative or targeted interventions may be necessary to encourage positive developmental outcomes following early adversity exposure. In this work, we examine potential intervention effects when programs target dyadic processes compared to individual (e.g., child-only or caregiver-only) components. Program and sample characteristics may play a key role in program efficacy and intervention effects for families facing adversity. We aim to develop conceptual frameworks to understand potential dyadic mechanisms of intervention for young children and their families.