2013 Leona Tyler Lecture

Seth Pollak and Jenny Saffran, University of Wisconsin, Presenters

Seth Pollak

Title:
Children's Emotions: Learning, Development, and Biology 
 
Abstract:
How is the brain shaped and refined by children's early social and emotional experiences?  To address this question, I will discuss studies of children who have had very stressful early life experiences. I will highlight ways in which we can address central issues in human development by studying the type, quality, and timing of children’s social experiences on brain and behavioral development.

Jenny Saffran

Title:
Beyond Nature versus Nurture: Changing views of infant language development

Abstract:
Long before infants produce their first word, they have learned a tremendous amount about their native language(s). What do infants know, and how did they learn it? In this talk, I will describe results from multiple lines of research that suggest that infants learn by tracking statistical properties of language. Implications for atypical language development will also be considered.