Our research

Our areas of research

Body representation development

We are interested in understanding how babies and children use information coming from different senses to develop an internal sense of their own bodies - a process called body representation. In some of our studies we are giving babies different types of multisensory experience, including vision, touch, and movement to see how this may support the development of body representations.

We also run studies with primary school children to see how they keep up with their growing bodies. Using fun games and visual illusions, we measure how well children can localise and control their hands to complete actions.

Imitation

Imitation is one of the earliest ways babies and young children connect with others and learn about the social world. We study how babies and toddlers learn copy others’ actions, and how being imitated by their caregivers or looking at themselves in the mirror may help this development. We also explore how children choose who to imitate, for example copying familiar or similar people more than others, and how everyday experiences – such as dummy use - may influence the development of facial mimicry.

Together, this research helps us understand how early social learning is shaped by relationships and experience.

Interoception

From birth, babies are learning to understand what their bodies are telling them, for example when they’re hungry, tired, or uncomfortable. We study how infants gradually learn to attach the right meaning to these internal signals, and how sensitive, responsive caregiving helps them trust and regulate their own needs.

Some of our studies focus on feeding and eating as key examples of how children learn to interpret their body’s needs, exploring how responses to hunger cues, and the emotional context of feeding shape their ability to recognise and manage internal sensations.

This research helps us understand the foundations of emotional regulation and wellbeing, and can give parents insight into how to respond to their child’s cues in supportive ways.

Healthy eating

We study how children develop healthy eating habits from toddlerhood through primary school.

Our research looks at how children respond to different foods, how they learn to balance taste and nutrition, and how mealtimes and family routines influence their choices. Using playful activities, games, and observations, we explore what encourages children to enjoy a variety of foods and develop positive attitudes toward eating.

Our goal is to provide parents with evidence-based insights to support healthy, confident eaters.

Parent and infant wellbeing

We are interested in how the prenatal and postnatal environment shapes baby development and parent-infant bonding. Our research explores maternal mental health, early caregiving experiences, and early signs of neurodevelopmental differences.

In partnership with The Synapse Centre for Neurodevelopment at ESNEFT, we study neurodevelopmental disorders to improve understanding and support for babies and children with additional needs. The ultimate goal is to use this research to inform evidence-based support and guidance for families.