Juliet Davidow

Sponsor: National Science Foundation

Neurocognitive development of adolescent learning

Adolescence is an important developmental period marked by increases in independence, changes in motivations, and new experiences. As adolescents engage in new behaviors, they may experience good or bad outcomes, learn from the experience, and use what is learned when faced with a new situation. The goal of this project is to understand the cognitive and brain mechanisms related to learning from experience, and how these change from childhood to adolescence and then to young adulthood. The project tests a relatively novel characterization of adolescence as a time when learning from experience is heavily weighted both at behavioral and brain level. In addition to the scientific work, the project includes STEM outreach in K-12 schools and internships for high school students.