Our research
We study infant development through multiple lenses — from brain activity to family interactions — to build a complete picture of how babies learn and grow.
Our ultimate goal is simple: understand how to best support and empower caregivers during their child's first three years of life.
Read our publicationsWhat we study
We look at infant development from four interconnected angles — language, brain, social connection, and environment — to understand how the whole picture comes together.
Language Learning
How infants process language in multilingual homes, the role of parent speech patterns, and how early language exposure shapes brain development.
Brain Development
Neural patterns during everyday activities, how environmental factors influence brain maturation, and individual differences in cognitive development.
Social Connection
Parent-infant interactions, how babies learn social cues, and the development of attachment in diverse family structures.
Environmental Context
How neighborhood resources, cultural practices, and socioeconomic factors shape the environments where development happens.
Current studies
ORCA, FINS, and REEF are enrolling now. Read about each study and sign up to join.
Now recruitingOnline Remote Child Assessment
ORCA · Pregnant parents and 0–4 month oldsResearch from your living room — a 30–40 minute Zoom call with your baby.
The aim of the Online Remote Child Assessment (ORCA) study is to make participation in research studies more accessible in order to better understand how diverse early experiences impact child development. Families are invited to hop on a 30–40 minute Zoom call where their baby watches short videos on their computer, tablet, or smartphone. Families also complete some short surveys and may be invited to participate in an interview.
Now recruitingFamily Interactions and Neural Synchrony
FINS · Caregiver-child dyadsRecording the brains of caregiver and baby together as they interact.
Early learning is a social process. The ability to initiate interactions, respond appropriately, and take turns during bouts of communication are important aspects of growing up in a social world. This study uses EEG hyperscanning to simultaneously record neural responses of the dyad (caregiver and child) while interacting in a series of semi-naturalistic tasks.
Now recruitingREEF (full study name to come)
REEF · Eligibility to be confirmedA new Brito Lab study. Details coming soon.
Details coming soon. Contact the lab if you'd like to be notified when enrollment opens.
Not currently enrollingPostpartum Ecological Assessment of Cognitive Health
PEACH · New mothers in the early postnatal periodUnderstanding maternal mental health in the early months after birth — fully remote, from your phone.
The PEACH study seeks to better understand maternal mental health during the early postnatal period. Using low-burden methods, this fully remote study explores mothers' real experiences while caring for their new infants. Moms will receive a Fitbit to track sleep, activity, and heart rate, and we will text you brief surveys three times a week for 10–14 weeks. Each survey takes less than a minute to complete.
Not currently enrollingCOVID-19 & Perinatal Experiences
COPE · 150+ families followed across infancyUnderstanding how stress and resilience during the pandemic shaped families and babies.
The aim of the COVID-19 and Perinatal Experiences (COPE) study is to understand the experiences of stress and resilience during the pandemic and potential impacts on infant development. We are currently following over 150 families across multiple stages of their baby's life, collecting survey data, behavioral observations, neuroimaging and biospecimens.
- Not currently enrolling
Háblame Bebé
Háblame Bebé · Hispanic parents and caregiversAn app that empowers Hispanic parents to embrace bilingualism and Spanish at home.
Háblame Bebé is an educational phone application that aims to empower Hispanic parents and caregivers to engage with their cultural identities, to feel pride in being Hispanic and in speaking Spanish, and to promote bilingualism. Fundamental to Háblame Bebé is the message that parents are their baby's first and best teachers — regardless of what language they speak.
How we measure development
No single measure captures how a child develops. We combine brain recordings, physiology, direct observation, and what families tell us, so each method covers what the others cannot.
EEG
A soft net of sensors records electrical activity at the scalp while a baby watches or listens. Nothing is sent into the brain — we are only listening. It tells us how attention and language processing are organized before a child can talk.
Hyperscanning
We record EEG from a caregiver and a child at the same time while they play or talk together. Comparing the two recordings shows how closely their brain activity tracks each other during real interaction, which is difficult to see when you measure one person alone.
Home visits and observation
A researcher spends time with a family in their own home and records short segments of ordinary routines — feeding, reading, play. Watching development where it actually happens gives us behavior that a lab visit would not produce.
Wearables
Families wear devices such as a Fitbit or a heart-rate monitor for a period of weeks. These give us continuous data on sleep, activity, and physiological stress in daily life rather than a single reading taken on one afternoon.
Family interviews and surveys
We ask caregivers about routines, language use, stressors, and support. Short repeated surveys let us follow change over weeks or months, and interviews give us context that numbers on their own would miss.
Developmental assessments
Standardized, age-appropriate activities measure attention, memory, and early language. Because the same measures are used across studies and labs, our results can be compared with the wider developmental literature.
Past studies
Completed work that continues to shape how we design new research with families.
Not currently enrollingStress, Home Environment, Language & Learning
SHELL · Birth to 24 monthsHow stress and the home language environment shape early learning.
Understanding how the early home environment impacts trajectories of language and cognitive development is crucial for identifying early risk and resilience factors associated with later school readiness. This study examines how caregiver stress and the home language environment influence early language and memory skills during the first two years of life.
Be part of our research
Your family's participation helps us understand development in ways that matter for all families.