Area of Research
My lab studies adolescent brain development to better understand how teens learn, make decisions, and pursue their goals. Studying the adolescent brain can help us understand how teens navigate their newfound independence and develop the cognitive skills needed to handle the challenges of daily life. This approach can also help us understand why adolescence coincides with a sharp rise in mental health disorders. To study the developing brain, we combine novel experimental tasks, functional neuroimaging (fMRI), and computational modeling. We work with children, adolescents, and young adults to chart how brain function and behavior change across development.
