Staff

Research Interest

The focus on our laboratories in the Psychology Department and at the Waisman Center is temperament and emotional development, with emphasis on the behavioral challenges of childhood. Our research brings together elements of the traditional fields of developmental psychology, psychopathology, psychometrics, neuroscience, and genetics. Graduate students come from clinical psychology, developmental psychology and IGM programs. We study infants, young children, and their families, and many of our subjects are twins. Typical longitudinal studies include laboratory-based assessment of infant emotional reactivity, study of the emotional atmosphere of the home, and analysis of genes, neuroimaging and endocrine measures. Among other topics, current studies address (1) the RDoC conceptualization of psychopathology; (2) motoric and sensory issues during development; (3) temperament as both a facet of typical emotional development and a risk factor for disorders; and (4) genetic epidemiology of a range of childhood disorders.