Neuropsychology of Childhood and Adolescence
Social and Clinical Developmental Neuroscience
About
The Neuropsychology of Childhood and Adolescence group investigates how brain development, behaviour and social interaction shape each other across development. A particular focus is on the flow of information between individuals – for example in parent–child, teacher–child and peer interactions. To study these processes, we use innovative multimodal hyperscanning approaches that allow us to record brain activity and physiological signals from interacting individuals simultaneously, including fNIRS, EEG, eye tracking, movement measures and peripheral physiology.
Research Topics
Our aim is to understand brain development not as an isolated process, but as embedded in the child’s social and ecological environment. We combine neuroscientific methods with information about everyday experiences, learning, social relationships and developmental contexts. In this way, we bridge social ecology and brain development: How do visual, motor, cognitive and social experiences shape the maturation of functional brain networks? And why do children and adolescents differ in their developmental trajectories, adaptability and vulnerability?
A further focus is the development of visual and motor systems. Work on visual development examines how visual cortical areas become specialized during childhood and adolescence, and how real-world visual experience influences this process. Our research on motor development investigates the maturation of action control, motor preparation, learning and inhibition. These processes are central for understanding typical development, but also provide important insights into developmental disorders.
Developmental disorders such as ADHD and Tourette syndrome are studied not only as clinical conditions, but also as models for understanding fundamental principles of brain function and dysfunction. They allow us to investigate how alterations in attentional, control, motor and social networks emerge, how children and adolescents compensate, and which mechanisms are associated with impairment, adaptation or resilience.
By integrating developmental neuroscience, clinical neuropsychology, multimodal imaging, hyperscanning and ecologically valid behavioural data, the group contributes to a better understanding of individual differences in brain development, social interaction and mental health.
Key projects in which the research group is involved include the Collaborative Research Centres on Motor Skills and Impulsivity and Aggression.