Caregiver-infant synchrony and its role in the development of the social brain

The project aims to investigate the role of synchrony between infants and their caregivers, in cognitive development. Synchrony can emerge at different levels and with this Carlsberg infrastructure grant, we will purchase a functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) system that will allow us to measure brain activity simultaneously in a parent and their infant, during social interaction. In particular, we are interested in how caregiver-infant synchrony might impact on the development of infants' growing ability to understand themselves as distinct from others. The project will contribute new tools to help us understand why synchrony is important for cognitive development, and thus what may be the consequence of atypical interactions between infants and their caregivers.