Infant Learning and How It Predicts Thinking Skills
Official title: Psychometrics and Predictive Validity of Infant Learning
Funded at University of Kansas Lawrence · NIH-11336820 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project studies how very young children learn from their actions and how those learning patterns relate to later thinking and language skills.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Kansas Lawrence NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Lawrence, United States) |
| Project start | September 8, 2023 |
| Project end | May 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $620,214 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HD109221-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11336820 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are infants aged 6–18 months and families willing to participate in longitudinal visits and small, age-appropriate tasks.
✕Less likely to help
Families who cannot commit to longitudinal assessments or who are outside the 6–18 month age window may not benefit directly.
What this research studies
Researchers will follow infants from 6 to 18 months and use simple tasks where babies see and respond to cues, measuring how reliably they learn from actions and outcomes. They’ll use two baby-friendly learning tasks and track outcomes over time to see if learning patterns stay consistent and predict later cognitive development. The study aims to understand whether early learning differences can signal later language and thinking abilities, with potential implications for early interventions. Results could help caregivers and clinicians identify early signs of developmental differences and tailor support accordingly.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the study could improve early detection of developmental differences and inform how early-life experiences shape later cognition and language.
How similar studies have gone: Previous infant learning studies show reliable measures of learning; this project tests cross-task consistency and predictive value for cognition.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Kansas Lawrence
Lawrence, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Colombo, John a. — University of Kansas Lawrence
- Study coordinator: Colombo, John a.
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.