Innovators in
Cognitive Neuroscience

Natalie Brito

NYU

June 16, 2021 at 12:00 PM ET

Title:
Putting Things in Perspective: Investigating the role of early maternal experiences on child neurocognitive development

Abstract:
Research consistently demonstrates that the first two years of life are sensitive periods during which stable, responsive, warm caregiving is key to children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development. Caregivers impact the developing infant’s ability to flexibly adapt to the demands of the environment, and the caregiver’s own stress physiology is a critical factor influencing caregiving behavior and subsequent child development. This talk will examine how maternal perinatal experiences may contribute to early differences in infant neurocognitive outcomes, examining both proximal interactions and more distal social policies. Understanding the wider effects of the sociocultural context on development can potentially help to disentangle the many pathways through which adaptations to the environment impact brain and behavior.

American Sign language (ASL) interpretation and
closed captioning will be provided.