Rachel Romeo

Research Focus

Recent research suggests that a child learns better when there is greater synchronization between their brain and a caregiver/teacher’s brain. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), I will measure brain-to-brain synchrony between Kindergarteners and their teacher to examine the neural mechanisms underlying vocabulary learning as a lesson unfolds. I will explore how both learning outcomes and the underlying neural mechanisms vary between children, e.g., across sociodemographics, learning mindsets, and the degree of match/mismatch between home and classroom communication styles. Repeated measures will also reveal how individual children’s learning varies across contexts, e.g., higher/lower “stakes” lessons (emotional manipulation), and whether children and teachers become more neurally synchronized across the school year. Beyond demonstrating basic mechanisms of successful versus unsuccessful learning, I aim to understand contextual factors that drive disparities in learning for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, how they vary across short and long timescales, and potential interventions to increase equitable learning outcomes.