Babylab

As a Psychology Research Master’s student at the University of Amsterdam, I am specializing in what are my two main interests: clinical and developmental psychology. On the one hand, I am fascinated by the multifaceted manifestations of psychological disorders and their treatment. On the other hand, I am also interested in learning about the origins of the most fundamental aspects of human nature, one of them being social evaluation. As part of my internship project ManyBabies 4, I am, therefore, investigating social evaluation in infants.

What do we come into this world with, and what do we learn? How do we learn? Babies offer a unique opportunity for us to explore some of the most fundamental questions we have about how we become ourselves. As a research master’s student specializing in developmental psychology and psychological methodology, I am excited to be a part of the Baby Lab as we delve deeper into how babies learn and how best to study the complex processes of human development.

I’m fascinated by the developing mind and how we learn about the world around us. With a particular focus on theory of mind, which is all about understanding what other people are thinking and feeling, I am constantly amazed to see how even very young children start to develop these skills. As a research master student in developmental psychology and research methods, I’m excited to uncover even more about the incredible potential of infants’ minds

Babies are renowned for leaving those around them in awe – the first year of life is a fascinating period of rapid growth and development. As a master’s student who specializes in developmental and cognitive psychology, I find this life stage the most astonishing of all. That is why I am happy to be part of the Baby Lab where I study how a baby’s eyes and smile show us what they understand about the world.

Infant research often deals with fundamental questions about the origins of human cognition, and observational methods for studying non-verbal behavior are at the heart of the field. Over the first year of life, infants become increasingly more purposeful in exploring their visual world through eye movements and engaging with others by expressing emotions. In my PhD projects, I design, apply, and assess infant-friendly measurement methods to study looking behavior and affective facial expressions.

How do infants view the world and how does this affect the new insights they gain? These are important questions in my research on the development of learning processes and knowledge from infants to adults. I am also interested in the role of emotions. (Professor of Cognitive Development, University of Amsterdam).

My research focuses on learning in children and infants: what do they look at in the world and what do they learn from that? Which information do they use to learn new concepts and words? What draws their attention and what doesn’t? I am associate professor of developmental psychology at the University of Amsterdam, and together with colleagues and students we try to answer these questions. Also as a father of two I am interested in children, their development and how to best support them.