Every smile, giggle, and tear tells a story about your baby’s emotional world. So, this week on Raising Parents: The Parenting Science Insights Podcast, host Marie Stella interviews psychology professor Vanessa LoBue, Ph.D., who specializes in infant and child development, on the fascinating journey of emotional development in infants.

A professor and chair of psychology at Rutgers University in Newark, Vanessa LoBue, Ph.D. has conducted research focusing on human behavioral responses to emotionally valanced stimuli. More specifically, Vanessa LoBue, Ph.D.’s research examines how early perceptual biases for threat contribute to maladaptive avoidance behaviors, such as those associated with the development of fear and anxiety, and how cognition contributes to children’s learning of adaptive avoidance responses, such as avoidance of contagious people or contaminated objects.

In this episode, Vanessa LoBue, Ph.D. sheds light on the role of an infant’s temperament and environment in their emotional development journey, revealing the pertinence of a primary caregiver’s emotional expression on their development. Additionally, Vanessa LoBue, Ph.D. shares more about the very first emotional responses to expect from infants, and when to expect them.

Together, Marie and Vanessa LoBue, Ph.D. answer the internet’s biggest questions about emotional development in infants — from realistic developmental milestones, to whether infants understand emotions concretely or reflectively. So, whether you’re a new parent or simply fascinated by early childhood development, tune in to this episode for science-backed insights and real-world advice to help you support your baby’s emotional growth — one loving interaction at a time!

Follow Vanessa LoBue, Ph.D.’s work: https://www.childstudycenter-rutgers.com/

Produced by the Parenting Science Labs, a division of LMSL, the Life Management Science Labs.

Explore LMSL https://lifemanagementsciencelabs.com/ and visit http://pa.lmsl.net/ for further information about Parenting Science Labs.

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