The Development of the Whole Child

A large study failed to replicate previous findings suggesting infants prefer "helpers," questioning the idea of innate moral understanding and raising "blank slate" possibilities.

Newborns and individuals with Alzheimer’s disease have been found to share an unusual biological feature: both show high levels of a well-established Alzheimer’s biomarker. What do newborns and individuals...

Brain scans and signals show babies can sort images and sense rhythm, offering new insight into how infant brains are wired from the start.

A Finnish study published in The Lancet Planetary Health finds that prenatal exposure to PFAS - common “forever chemicals” found in water, food, and household items - may alter brain structure and fun...

Researchers find that lower maternal heart rate variability postpartum is linked to higher anxiety and depression, affecting both mother and infant neurophysiology.

So why can't we recall our first years?

Parents across the world sing to their babies every day—soothing them, amusing them, or simply connecting with them. But does this instinctive behavior have measurable long-term benefits for infants’...

A new cross-cultural study published in Developmental Science has demonstrated that infants as young as 10 months old display measurable emotional responses to the distress of their peers, offering compelling...

🔬 1-Year Postdoc Position – Infant Communicative Development (Aix-Marseille Université) The PsyCLE Center invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to work on the Move to Tell project, ...

Babies can detect their heartbeat and breathing from a few months old. This awareness may support emotional and social development.

Experts say the study turned up interesting findings, but parents shouldn't stress over their kid's IQ.

(Beyond Pesticides, January 5, 2022) Household pesticide use is associated with harmful impacts to infant motor development, according to a study published late last year in the journal Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology. The research focused on primarily low-income Hispanic women located in Los Angeles, California, enrolled in an ongoing study referred to as Maternal and Developmental Risks from Environmental and Social Stressors (MADRES). As with other pollutants in society, low-income, people of color communities are disproportionately in contact with toxic pesticides, resulting in exposures that can start early, and affect health over the course of one’s lifetime. Women enrolled in the MADRES cohort are over the age of 18, and speak English or Spanish fluently. For the present study, roughly 300 MADRES participants met the criteria for enrollment, and completed household pesticide use questionnaires at a 3-month post-natal visit. The questionnaire generally inquired whether pesticides had been used in one’s home since their child was born. After another 3 months, researchers also tested infants’ motor development using an Ages and Stages-3 protocol screening tool, which evaluates a child’s ability to execute muscle movements. Overall, roughly 22% of mothers reported pesticide use in their home during the first months of their […]