Saffran is an investigator at the Waisman Center and a Distinguished Professor of Psychology in the College of Letters & Science. Her lab, the Infant Learning Lab, has an international reputation in the area of developmental psychology and she has received a number of major awards, including several early career awards from the American Psychological Association.
Research
Spanish mother’s search leads to the Waisman Center
“Don’t give up, my love, or I’ll give up with you, because I only live to see the fulfillment of this dream: that you may continue to live. Yours is a life sentence, not a death sentence.”
Study uncovers how Ritalin works in brain to boost cognition, focus attention
Stimulant medications such as Ritalin have been prescribed for decades to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and their popularity as “cognition enhancers” has recently surged among the healthy, as well.
Eating Cheese Without Fear
Tad and Matt Martin recently ate what they had never been able to eat before: hamburgers, hot dogs, ice cream and grilled cheese sandwiches, with real cheese and regular bread.
Study reveals possible genetic risk for fetal alcohol disorders
New research in primates suggests that infants and children who carry a certain gene variant may be more vulnerable to the ill effects of fetal alcohol exposure.
Meditation may fine-tune control over attention
Everyday experience and psychology research both indicate that paying close attention to one thing can keep you from noticing something else.
Maribeth Gettinger, PhD, organizes reading seminar on racial/ethnic topics
Waisman researcher Maribeth Gettinger received a grant from the Institute on Race and Ethnicity for her organization of a campus reading group of books featuring racial/ethnic themes.
Brain’s ‘fear center’ may underlie autistic behaviors
The brain’s emotional center is unusually small in autistic males with the most severe behavioral impairments, University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers reported this month.
Rob Zaleski: Sleuths seek cause for explosion of autism
Like most people, I’d never known anyone with the disorder or even heard anyone talk about it.
Open hearts, open minds seek awareness and relaxation through meditation
Dr. Richard Davidson pioneered some of the world’s first research on meditation and its affect on the brain. With meditation, says Davidson, a person can train his or her mind to improve attention and regulate emotions; it can also improve a person’s level of happiness and well-being.