The Baby Lab is a research facility focused on early human development. It is part of the Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences at the University of Rochester.


At the Baby Lab, researchers observe children while they watch movies or play, and then analyze their eye-gaze patterns and brain activity. This data is used to study how children think, learn, and make decisions.

Research methods:

Yarbus: Tracking visual fixations in the world during social interaction

Tobii: On-screen eye-tracking to shapes, objects, and movies

LENA: Measuring linguistic input with digital audio recorders

Development topics:

  1. •auditory and visual perception

  2. •language acquisition

  3. •brain and cognitive development

  4. •development of attention

  5. •motor development

  6. •concept and category formation

  7. •statistical learning

  8. •musical cognition

NIRS: Brain-imaging with fiber optic sensors on a lightweight, velcro cap