CPRC Seminar Series with Professor Kathryn Humphreys
Abstract:
Understanding the impact of adversity on brain development is a critical area of research in developmental neuroscience. Despite significant advancements, methodological challenges persist, including on how to define and assess adversity in early life. This talk will explore adversity’s influence on brain development, emphasizing several key methodological issues. These include the reliance on external informants, retrospective reports, lumping together different types of adversity, and consideration of the timing of exposure. Further, approaches to counter prior limitations will be discussed. This includes work from my lab, the Stress and Early Adversity (SEA) lab, which has embarked on a longitudinal project aimed at refining our approach to studying adversity and brain development by scanning infants at 1, 6, and 12 months of age. By focusing on early development, we hope to overcome some of the limitations associated with retrospective reporting and better account for the timing and type of adversity.
Dr. Kathryn Humphreys is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and Human Development and Chancellor Faculty Fellow at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Humphreys is widely recognized as an international leader in examining the impact of adverse experiences on child development, with a dedicated goal of improving children’s lives. A clinical psychologist by training, Dr. Humphreys received postdoctoral training in infant mental health and developmental neuroscience. Her research explores the mechanisms through which early experiences shape developmental trajectories. She has received numerous grants to support her research, with current support from the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation. Dr. Humphreys has authored nearly 200 publications and book chapters and has been recognized with several awards, including the Janet Taylor Spence Award for Transformative Early Career Contributions from Association for Psychological Science and the Boyd McCandless Award from American Psychological Association, reflecting her significant contributions to the field of developmental and clinical psychology.
