About Us
Welcome to the C.A.P. 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 graduate students and research staff on their most recent accomplishments!
- Mohamed Zerrouk was a recipient of the VT Psychology Awards for Teaching Excellence in February 2024.
- Briana Ermanni proposed her preliminary exam in February 2024.
- Mohamed Zerrouk proposed his dissertation study in January 2024.
- Vanessa Diaz Benitez defended her master's thesis project in November 2023.
- Jennifer Phillips proposed her dissertation study in November 2023.
- Briana Ermanni and Kylie Wijeratne presented research posters at the Occasional Temperament Conference in October 2023.
- Jennifer Phillips gave a research talk at the Occasional Temperament Conference in October 2023.
- Doug Harrison defended his master's thesis project in August 2023.
- Cheyenne Williams, Mohamed Zerrouk, and Jennifer Phillips presented research posters at APA in August 2023.
- Kaitlyn Rasnick, Kylie Wijeratne, Vanessa Diaz Benitez, Doug Harrison, and Jennifer Phillips presented research posters at ISDP [virtual] in July 2023.
- Mohamed Zerrouk defended his preliminary exam in May 2023.
- Jennifer Phillips, Mohamed Zerrouk, Briana Ermanni, Doug Harrison, Vanessa Diaz Benetiz, and Cheyenne Williams presented research posters at SRCD 2023.
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, M.A.
baby BEAR Project Coordinator
- Kylie Wijeratne, B.S.
HBCD Research Assistants:
- Cheyenne Williams, B.S.
- Kaitlyn Rasnick, B.S.
Graduate Students:
- Jennifer Phillips, M.S. (5th year)
- Mohamed Zerrouk, M.S. (5th year)
- Briana Ermanni, M.S. (4th year)
- Doug Harrison, M.S. (3rd year)
- Vanessa Diaz Benitez, M.S. (2nd year)
- Alana Hull, B.S. (3rd year medical student)
Undergraduate Research Assistants:
- Poojaa Kalathur
- Rachel Castro
- Nafisa Anjum
- Jolie Childress
- Mary Kelleher
- David Lee
- Eudora Nordt
- Rebecca Cuthbertson
- Dylan Hughson
- Mila Illijowski
- Lily Jo
- Nicholas Kilp
Participant Information
Parents:
If you would like to find out more information about our research with infants and children, or if you and your child would like to participate in one of our studies, 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 JEDI study --- Journey of Emotional Development in Infancy --- Emotion reactivity and regulation behaviors and brain physiology leading to development of self-regulation. There are lab visits every 4 months from 6 to 26 months. Collaborator: Washington State Univ. Funded by NSF 2016919
- Baby BEAR study --- Behavior, Emotion, And Regulation --- Temperamental reactivity and brain physiology from 6 to 24 months as precursors of developing personality. Collaborators: 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: 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: 25 universities/Medical Centers across the US. Funded by NIH U01 DA055357
Plus, our ongoing work (data collection is complete):
- 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.
- Development of inhibitory control during infancy --- Our monthly study from 5 to 12 months.
- Development of executive function during toddlerhood --- Our quarterly longitudinal study at 15, 18, 21, and 24 months.
Join Us
Potential Graduate Students:
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
or contact Dr. Bell at mabell@vt.edu
Recent Graduates
- Madeleine Bruce, Ph.D. (2022)
Postdoctoral Fellow, CAN Lab
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Duke University
Durham, NC - Tatiana Meza-Cervera, Ph.D. (2021)
Health Science Program / Review Officer
National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD - Ran Liu, Ph.D. (2020)
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Beijing Normal University
Beijing, China - Alleyne (Ross) Broomell, Ph.D. (2019)
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC - Tashauna Blankenship, Ph.D. (2017)
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Developmental and Brain Sciences
University of Massachusetts - Boston
Boston, MA - Amanda (Watson) Joyce, Ph.D. (2014)
Associate Professor of Psychology
Murray State University
Murray, K - Jess Kraybill, Ph.D. (2013)
Associate Professor of Psychology
Western Connecticut State University
Danbury, CT - Kimberly Cuevas, Ph.D. (Postdoctoral Fellow, 2009-12)
Associate Professor of Psychology
University of Connecticut
Waterbury, CT - Anjolii Diaz, Ph.D. (2012)
Associate Professor of Psychological Science
Ball State University
Muncie, IN - Vinaya (Raj) Rajan, Ph.D. (2012)
Director of Dissemination, ABC Intervention Program
University of Delaware
Newark, DL - Annie M. Cardell, Ph.D. (2009)
Associate Professor of Psychology
University of Charleston
Charleston, WV - Katherine C. Morasch, Ph.D. (2007) (Postdoctoral Fellow 2007-10)
Senior Scientific Review Officer
Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
Washington, DC - Denise R. Friedman, Ph.D. (2006)
Psychology Consultant
Roanoke, VA - Hossam M. (Zaki) Said, Ph.D. (2005)
Manager, Ergonomics - Customer Testing Center CTC, Commercial
The Egyptian Company for Mobile Services Mobinil
Cairo, Egypt - Christy D. Wolfe, Ph.D. (2005)
Professor of Psychology
Bellarmine University
Louisville, KY - Annie Papero, Ph.D. (2004)
Executive Director, Child Development Center of the Bluegrass
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY - Jonathan E. Roberts, Ph.D. (2001)
Professor of Psychology
Director of University Honors Program
Georgia Southern University - Armstrong Campus
Savannah, GA