A research article by Nancy Rader (Emerita), Laura Muscalu (former Lecturer in psychology), and six students from Prof. Rader’s Cognition Lab has been selected for a special topic ebook from Frontiers:
Citation: Ionta, S., Ortibus, E., Aspell, J. E., eds. (2022). Psychology and Neuropsychology of Perception, Action, and Cognition in Early Life. Lausanne: Frontiers Media SA. doi: 10.3389/978-2-88974-887-7.
In this research infant prefrontal brain activity was measured using functional Near-InfraRed Spectroscopy (fNIRS) during crawling, being pushed in a stroller, and performing a passive and active cognition task. The researchers found that prefrontal activity was greater during goal-directed crawling and the active cognition task, supporting the theory that crawling in infancy contributes to the development of executive functioning through activation in the prefrontal lobe.
