Our research

Healthy child and adolescent development is the foundation of a healthy and successful future. Our research aims to understand and advance the science of human development across the lifespan to inform policies and practices that address our society’s most critical issues, including building healthy relationships and healthy communities, closing the opportunity gap, combating adolescent substance abuse, charting brain growth and health, and globalization.

Developmental psychology underpins most of our research activities. Our researchers study both typical and atypical development using techniques including:

  • neuroimaging;
  • electrophysiological recording;
  • genetics and epigenetics;
  • neuropsychological assessment; and
  • observations of behavior.

Research labs

Research labs

Bioecology, Self-Regulation and Learning Lab

Faculty: Daniel Berry

Our research focuses on clarifying the processes—mind, brain and environment—through which children’s experiences with their parents, teachers, and peers shape their abilities to control their impulses, purposely maintain and shift their attention, and hold and manipulate information in mind. Broadly, this set of inter-related skills is referred to as "self-regulation."

Topics
  • Cognitive development
  • Developmental neuroscience
  • Early childhood
  • Executive function
  • Families and parenting
  • Hormones and behavior
  • Infancy
  • Social and emotional development
  • Stress and maltreatment
  • Vulnerable populations

Learn more

Child Development Laboratory School

Child Development Laboratory School

Our Child Development Laboratory School is an active center for research for our faculty and students, who conduct studies there throughout the school year.

Take a closer look

Affiliated centers

We work with many research centers across the University of Minnesota. Through our partnerships, our students can collaborate with experts in different fields and conduct interdisciplinary research.

Family participating in research.

Are you a parent? Participate in research

We’re always looking for families and children to participate in our research studies. Help us make the next big discovery.

Learn how