Elif Isbell

Our research focuses on how children develop the skills that allow them to seek goal-directed behaviors, especially in the face of internal and external distractions.

We study how and when children develop the abilities to:

• focus on relevant information while ignoring distractions
• maintain and manipulate information in their minds
• resist automatic responses that conflict with their goals
• switch flexibly between relevant rules
• monitor the outcomes of their actions, especially when they make errors

We aim to:

• characterize the neurodevelopmental and behavioral changes in cognitive control in early childhood
• elucidate the mechanisms through which children’s early experiences contribute to cognitive control development
• delineate the interplay between cognitive control skills and academic development