Preschool Executive Control and Brain Development

In early childhood, the brain regions that are responsible for executive control are rapidly developing. Compared to some other neuroimaging techniques (like fMRI or PET), event–related potentials or ERPs are well–suited for studying young children. In this technique, electrode sensors record small changes in voltage on the scalp related to underlying neural activity, and larger number of sensors improve our ability to identify where in the brain these scalp signals originate. In this research project (conducted in collaboration with Jeremy Caplan and Anthony Singhal), children wear special caps containing 128 recording sensors, while they play special computer games that are designed to require inhibitory control, working memory, and set shifting (for example, pressing different buttons depending on the color or shape of a character appearing on the computer screen). We examine children’s level of performance and patterns of brain activity, to better understand how changes in brain activity relate to the development of executive control.
 

Measuring Executive Control and Emotion Regulation in Early Childhood

Although toddlers are not known for their self–control skills, the transition from infancy to early childhood is a time in which the capacity to keep things in mind and adapt behavior to achieve a goal is rapidly emerging. Executive control tasks developed for infants are typically too easy for toddlers, but children of this age do not yet have the language skills to complete many of the standard executive control tasks used with older children and adults. In this project our goal is to develop reliable, valid measures of executive control and emotional regulation for use with very young children. This will allow us to better understand how these skills emerge and, ultimately, what puts some children at risk for developing problems with self–regulation.
 

Smoking During Pregnancy and Preschool Self-Regulation

Many studies have found a link between smoking during pregnancy and children’s later development of attention problems and externalizing behavior. In this study, we examine whether early problems with self–regulation mediate this link, and how contextual factors (like parenting and home environment) might play a role. Together with colleagues at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, we are conducting an NIH–funded follow–up study of a group of children whose mothers were enrolled in a previous study during their pregnancy. In the initial study, smoking and other substance use was assessed repeatedly during pregnancy. The current study includes a battery of executive control and emotion regulation tasks, along with an observational assessment of externalizing behaviors and measures of parenting and other contextual factors. Ultimately, this study will allow us to better understand the pathways from prenatal risk factors to child outcomes.