Email: ag6572@nyu.edu
Program: PhD in Developmental Psychology
Year entered Program: 2018
Research Interests: Parent-child interaction, language development, brain development (EEG), cognitive development, parental stress
Principal Advisor(s): Dr. Natalie Brito
Research Description/Bio:
Ashley Greaves is a doctoral student in the Developmental Psychology program at NYU Steinhardt. She is mentored by Dr. Natalie Brito in the Infant Studies of Language And Neurocognitive Development (ISLAND) lab. Generally, Ashley examines how aspects of caregiver-child interaction facilitate language development in infancy and toddlerhood. Specifically, she uses mixed methods (observed behavior, single EEG, EEG hyperscanning, survey, interview) to examine how synchrony (reciprocal physiological and behavioral cues) in these interactions facilitates early language development, possibly moderated by distal factors (parental stress, family leave policies). Through her research, Ashley hopes to elucidate neurocognitive, biological, psychological, and social mechanisms by which caregivers respond to their infants in real time to foster development. She also hopes that her work informs national policies like the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to better support families. Ashley graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience and Educational Studies from Swarthmore College in 2018. In her undergraduate thesis, she worked with Dr. Kimberly Noble at Teachers College (Columbia University) to explore socioeconomic disparities in infant recognition and recall memory. In her undergraduate years, Ashley also served as a student teacher for three undergraduate biology courses and a genetics/genomics teacher for high school and undergraduate teachers in The Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor, Maine). Ultimately, Ashley is passionate about teaching, mentorship, and research to include and uplift the voices and perspectives of underrepresented communities.