People
Our Lab Members
Dr. Samuel Forbes
Principal Investigator
Hi I am Sam, an Associate Professor in Psychology and Director of the Babylab. My research interests include language and cognition, and how we first learn to learn. I investigate this using eye-tracking and neuroimaging, particularly fNIRS. My current research is varied, which I think reflects how cool the process of development is. I have studied how children learn about the concepts of colour, the neural correlates of working memory, how language impacts the brain, and the role of sleep and multimodal input in language development – among other topics! My background prior to my PhD was actually in foreign languages and linguistics, hence the love of language – I majored in Japanese and Mandarin as an undergraduate. When I’m not working, I’m often around Durham with my own little one, who has taken part in a few Babylab studies by now herself!
Dr. Jacky Chan
Assistant Professor
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Durham University. I am primarily interested in early language development in both monolingual and bi/multilingual children. I have specific interests in how young children learn the meaning of words and understand sentences. I am also interested in how language learning influences other areas of development, for example how language shapes infants’ learning of object categories and how learning multiple languages influences young children’s perspective-taking skills. I mainly use eye-tracking and behavioural methods (game-like studies) in my research.
Lucy Edgar
Research Assistant
I’m Lucy, a research assistant working within the Babylab on two different projects. The first project uses a short eye-tracking task to look at the effects of infant temperament (such as curiosity) on word learning processes and early vocabulary development. The second project examines the effects of infant tiredness on current task performance using the Tiredness Questionnaire alongside an eye-tracking task. I am also a PhD student within the Durham University Psychology Department investigating the why humans engage in reward behaviours specifically following positive emotions. This follows on from my MRes research which found that momentary positive emotional episodes led to greater snack intake than negative or neutral emotional episodes. Outside of my research, I love to read and go to concerts.
Lauryn Clucas
PhD Student
I’m Lauryn and I’m a PhD student working in the Babylab. My research focuses on how gesture affects language development in infants, specifically how gestures help infants to learn new words. To investigate this, I use eye-tracking to monitor infants’ attention towards gestures and assess their word learning. I also completed my Masters in Research Methods (Developmental Psychology) at Durham University. During this, my research compared the effects of gesture on early vocabulary development across different languages, and I also investigated the specific effects of gesture and baby sign on word learning.
Nina Jost
PhD Student
I am Nina, a PhD student in the Babylab. I am interested in how children grasp language and numerical concepts, and I investigate this using eye tracking and functional near infra-red spectroscopy (fNIRS; a novel neuroimaging technique). My PhD research explores the neural, cognitive and environmental factors that shape early number word learning. Previously, I completed my Masters in Developmental Psychopathology here at Durham University, where my research examined the relationship between phonological processing, reading and arithmetic in school-aged children. Outside the lab, I enjoy travelling, cooking, baking, playing the cello, and running.
Giulia D’Avino
PhD Student
Hi, I’m Giulia and my PhD research explores whether tiredness affects an infant’s attention and word learning. I investigate this with eye tracking and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), which is a harmless neuroimaging technique measuring brain activity. My other research interests also include working memory, executive function, face processing and motor development.
Oscar Sill
PhD Student
Hi, I’m Oscar, I investigate how infants and children learn to process and use their bodies as they constantly grow and change, as well as how they then use this knowledge to develop a conscious sense of ‘self’ and ‘my body’ in the earliest stages of life. In my work, I’ve studied things like children’s movement, vision, and cognition, and use exciting technologies including virtual reality, physiology, and full body motion tracking. I’ve worked with young children for many years in both research and teaching in a primary school, and I love being out in nature and playing sports.