Lauren Pugeda
Advisor: Anna Fisher
Major: Psychology
Minor: Cognitive Neuroscience
Exploration in Action: Examining Patterns of Locomotor Exploration in Infants at Typical vs. Elevated Likelihood for Autism Spectrum Disorder
The acquisition of independent mobility across the first year of life facilitates advances in domains of development far afield from the original accomplishment (Iverson, 2010). Specifically, the ability to crawl and walk enables infants to explore the objects and people that make up their everyday environments in new ways, thus enhancing learning and development. For example, infants have been shown to use locomotion to engage in social exploration with caregivers by offering and requesting objects. Previous research, however, has not investigated how infants with an elevated likelihood for developmental disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) use locomotion to engage in social exploration. This study fills this gap by examining how 12-month-old infants use locomotion to explore the physical and social features of the home and comparing patterns of behavior between infants with and without familial likelihood of autism. The results of this study will contribute to the development of more robust assessments and early interventions for infants at risk for developmental disorders.
Bio
Lauren is interested in becoming a child clinician and working with children and families that experience greater learning needs including attentional deficits, trauma, and autism spectrum disorders. In her time at CMU, she has served as a leader within Tridelta sorority and the First Year Orientation program and interned or worked at various education sites and research labs in Pittsburgh. She also enjoys outdoor activities, such as hiking and camping, and sharing music playlists with her friends.