Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences

Experts at the UW have focused their lens on a rather unconventional subject of study – the link between the ability to view stars free from light pollution and an interest in astronomy. Rodolfo Cortes Barragan, a research scientist at the UW Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, and Andrew Meltzoff, professor of psychology and co-director of the UW Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, are quoted.

A new study comparing the brains of children before and after COVID-19 found that adolescent girls’ brains had aged faster than expected during the social isolation and lockdowns brought on by the pandemic. Patricia Kuhl, professor of speech and hearing sciences at the UW and co-director of the UW Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, is quoted.

New research found that teens’ brains “aged” during the COVID-19 lockdowns due to the loss of social interaction. Girls were the most impacted. Patricia Kuhl, professor of speech and hearing sciences at the UW and co-director of the UW Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, is quoted.

Neuroimaging found girls experienced cortical thinning far faster than boys did during the first year of COVID lockdowns. The UW's Neva Corrigan, research scientist at the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, and Patricia Kuhl, professor of speech and hearing sciences and co-director of the UW Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, are quoted.

COVID lockdowns, such as school closures, canceled sports activities and stay-at-home orders, prematurely aged teen brains by as much as four years, researchers from the UW found. Patricia Kuhl, professor of speech and hearing sciences at the UW and co-director of the UW Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, is quoted.

In the College of Arts & Sciences, we are proud to support the success of first-generation students, faculty, and staff, and celebrate their many contributions to our university community.

Liliana Lengua, professor of psychology, and Andrew Meltzoff, professor of psychology and co-director of the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, discuss the impact of the pandemic on children's mental health and development.

The authors of a new study on youth mental health during COVID-19 explain their research and results.

University of Washington Provost Mark A. Richards today announced Dianne Harris will become dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, beginning Sept. 1.

The UW Institute of Learning and Brain Sciences found that babies already have the building blocks of generous social behavior. Andrew Meltzoff, professor of psychology at the UW and co-director of the institute, is interviewed.

Christina Zhao, a postdoctoral researcher at I-LABS and lead author of a study on the effect of music on 9-month-old babies explains the results.

A new study authored by Rodolfo Cortes Barragan, a postdoctoral researcher at the UW Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, has found that "identification with all of humanity" preditcts whether someone will engage in "prosocial" behaviors during COVID-19.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people who recognize the connections they share with others are more likely to wear a mask, follow health guidelines and help people, even at a potential cost to themselves, a new University of Washington study shows.

“Hybrid or all-remote schedules make powerful recruiting tools and look great on paper — carrying the promise of improved equity by giving employees the flexibility to better juggle work and life. But as the head of a women’s college and a cognitive scientist, I have some serious reservations,” writes Sian Beilock, president of Barnard College. A UW study is referenced.

Without preschool and playgroups, the youngest children are missing out on important educational opportunities. Patricia Kuhl, professor of speech and hearing sciences at the UW and co-director of the UW Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, is quoted.