Babylab

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.