About Us
Welcome to the CAP Lab at Virginia Tech. Our research focuses on brain-behavior relations, with an emphasis on frontal lobe development in infants and children. Please explore our website to learn more about our exciting research program.
Recent Lab News:
Congratulations to our current and former graduate students and research staff on their most recent accomplishments!
- Former post-bacc Research Assistant Reese Burkey is attending graduate school at Virginia Tech.
- Former post-bacc Research Assistant Skylar Cui is attending graduate school at City University of New York.
- Ellie Johnson and Liza Anderson presented research posters at the American Psychological Association (APA) in Washington DC in August 2026.
- Isa de la Rosa gave a research talk at the International Congress of Infant Studies (ICIS) in Panama City, Panama, in July 2026.
- Doug Harrison graduated with his PhD in May 2026. Congratulations, Dr. Harrison!
- Isa de la Rosa defended her master's thesis in April 2026.
- Ran Liu (PhD, 2020) was named APS Rising Star for 2026. Ran is Associate Professor of Psychology at Beijing Normal University.
- Maddie Bruce (PhD, 2022) authored a CAP Lab publication that was a top 5 cited article for 2025 at the journal Developmental Psychobiology. Maddie is Data Analyst at Abre.
- Vanessa Diaz Benitez graduated with her PhD in December 2025. She is Assistant Professor at Honolulu Community College.
- Doug Harrison gave a research talk at the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology (ISDP) meeting in San Diego in November 2025.
- Isa de la Rosa and Leslie Patton presented research posters at the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology (ISDP) meeting in San Diego in November 2025.
- Isa de la Rosa gave a research talk at the Occasional Temperament Conference (OTC) meeting in College Station TX in November 2025.
- Doug Harrison presented a research poster at the Occasional Temperament Conference (OTC) meeting in College Station TX in November 2025.
- Reese Burkey presented a research poster at the American Psychological Association (APA) meeting in Denver in August 2025.
- Brie Ermanni graduated with her PhD in May 2025. She is a SRCD State Policy Postdoctoral Fellow at the New Hampshire Child Development Bureau and Office of Head Start.
Research Interests
We study multiple aspects of cognitive development, with an emphasis on individual differences in the development of working memory and inhibitory control. In our research studies, we focus on attention, self-regulation, and temperament as the main sources of these individual differences. Our most current work is longitudinal in nature and examines the relations between cognition and affect (or emotion) across infancy and childhood. We focus on behavior, as well as developmental psychophysiology, including the measurement of brain electrical activity (EEG) and heart rate activity (ECG). This work is funded by the National Institutes of Health / National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NIH / NICHD; R01 HD104945), the National Institutes of Health / National Institute of Mental Health (NIH / NIMH; R01 MH125800) and by National Science Foundation / Developmental Sciences (NSF; 2016919).
People
Lab Members
Director:
Laboratory Coordinator; baby JEDI Project Coordinator; BUBBLES Project Coordinator:
- Leslie Patton, MA
baby BEAR Project Coordinator:
- Liza Anderson, BS
HBCD Lead Blacksburg Research Assistant:
- Ellie Johnson, BS
HBCD Blacksburg Research Assistant:
- Addison Horowicz, BS
Graduate Students:
- Isabela de la Rosa, BS (3rd year)
Lead Undergraduate Research Assistant:
- Chloe Stockli
Undergraduate Research Assistants:
- Brenna Egan
- Ally Burkwall
- Elle Cooney
- Lily Doerzaph
Participant Information
Parents:
If you would like more information about our research with infants and children, feel free to contact us:
Leslie Patton (Laboratory Coordinator)
Research Lab Phone: (540) 231-2320
Email: lapatton@vt.edu
Directions:
Please see the Directions to Williams Hall.
Current Research Projects
Current research projects in the CAP Lab (data collection in progress):
- Baby BEAR study --- Behavior, Emotion, And Regulation --- Temperamental reactivity and brain physiology from 6 to 24 months as precursors of developing personality. Collaborators are Washington State Univ & Florida Atlantic Univ. (Funded by NIH R01 MH125800)
- Project BUBBLES --- Babies: Understanding Brains and Baseline Longitudinal EEG Study --- Examination of brain rhythms from 6 to 48 months, with the goal of standardizing resting state recording context and frequency band definitions associated with early attention, cognition, and emotion. Collaborators are Univ of Connecticut & Texas A&M. (Funded by NIH R01 HD104945)
- HBCD --- Healthy Brain and Child Development --- How early brain development is affected by exposure to environmental, social, and biological factors during pregnancy and after birth. Children will participate from birth through early childhood. Collaborators are 25 universities/Medical Centers across the US. (Funded by NIH U01 DA055357)
Plus, our ongoing work (data collection is complete; data analysis & manuscript writing continue):
- Cognition and emotion from infancy through adolescence --- Children participated during infancy (5 and 10 months), early childhood (2, 3, and 4 years), middle childhood (6 and 9 years) and adolescence (14 years). (Funded by R01 HD049878; R03 HD043057; R03 HD057319)
- Development of inhibitory control during infancy --- Our monthly study from 5 to 12 months. (Funded by R03 HD091644)
- Development of executive function during toddlerhood --- Our quarterly longitudinal study at 15, 18, 21, and 24 months. (Funded by COS Faculty Fellowship)
- Brain activity during infant inhibitory control --- Our study of infant ERP at 10 and 12 months. (Funded by R21 HD097942)
- Baby JEDI study - Journey of Emotional Development in Infancy --- Our study of emotion reactivity and regulation behaviors and brain physiology leading to development of self-regulation in toddlerhood. In collaboration with Washington State Univ. (Funded by NSF 2016919)
Join Us
Potential Graduate Students:
*Dr. Bell is not recruiting a new graduate student for Fall 2027.
If you are interested in doctoral study in the field of Developmental Psychology in general or Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience in particular, contact us for details about our Developmental Science graduate program. Our program is committed to training students as research-oriented psychologists using the mentorship model. For information on graduate studies, visit the Developmental Science web site:
Developmental Science Graduate Program
Recent Graduates
- J Douglas Harrison jr, PhD (2026)
Statistical Consultant - Vanessa Diaz Benitez, PhD (2025)
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Honolulu Community College - Brie Ermanni, PhD (2025)
SRCD State Policy Postdoctoral Fellow
New Hampshire Child Development Bureau and Office of Head Start - Jennifer Phillips, PhD (2024)
Assistant Professor of Psychology
University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown - Mohamed Zerrouk, PhD (2024)
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Pacific University, Forest Grove OR - Madeleine Bruce, PhD (2022)
Data Analyst
Abre - Tatiana Meza-Cervera, PhD (2021)
Health Science Administrator
National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health - Ran Liu, PhD (2020)
Associate Professor of Psychology
Beijing Normal University - Alleyne (Ross) Broomell, PhD (2019)
Associate Professor of Psychology
Western Carolina University, Cullowhee NC - Tashauna Blankenship, PhD (2017)
Associate Professor of Psychology
University of Massachusetts - Boston - Amanda (Watson) Joyce, PhD (2014)
Professor of Psychology
Murray State University, Murray KY - Jess Kraybill, PhD (2013)
Associate Professor of Psychology
Western Connecticut State University, Danbury CT - Kimberly Cuevas, PhD (Postdoctoral Fellow, 2009-12)
Professor of Psychology
University of Connecticut - Anjolii Diaz, PhD (2012)
Associate Professor of Psychological Science
Ball State University, Muncie IN - Vinaya (Raj) Rajan, PhD (2012)
Director of Dissemination, ABC Intervention Program
University of Delaware - Annie M. Cardell, PhD (2009)
Adjunct Professor of Psychology
University of Charleston, Charleston WV - Katherine C. Morasch, PhD (2007; Postdoctoral Fellow 2007-10)
Senior Scientific Review Officer
Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, Washington DC - Denise R. Friedman, PhD (2006)
Psychology Consultant - Hossam M. Zaki, PhD (2005)
Executive Manager of Ergonomics - Customer Testing Center
The Egyptian Company for Mobile Services Mobinil, Cairo, Egypt - Christy D. Wolfe, PhD (2005)
Professor of Psychology
Bellarmine University, Louisville KY - Annie Papero, PhD (2004)
Executive Director, Child Development Center of the Bluegrass
University of Kentucky - Jonathan E. Roberts, PhD (2001)
Professor of Psychology
Georgia Southern University, Savannah GA