Early neural signatures of cognitive development

Studying infant cognition is an exciting yet challenging task due to the complexities of assessment in this developing population. Non-verbal behaviors, particularly looking behaviors, have served as important tools in enriching our understanding of infants’ minds. However, interpreting looking behavior in terms of particular cognitive or brain mechanisms presents significant challenges, given the multiple underlying processes involved (Aslin, 2007; Reynolds & Romano, 2016). Alternatively, infant neuroimaging methodologies, particularly functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and event-related potential (ERP), promise to provide additional insight into the mechanisms of cognitive development during the first few years of life. More specifically, these technologies promise increased measurement specificity in terms of the particular perceptual and cognitive processes engaged in a given task. The goal of this dissertation is to explore the potential of using fNIRS and ERP measures in combination with longitudinal data to better understand development across three distinct domains. In Chapter 1, I provide a review of relevant literature in support of this goal. In Chapter 2, I present evidence from fNIRS data that early social-cognitive competencies in infancy rely on shared cognitive and neural systems with the explicit theory of mind abilities observed in older children and adults. In Chapter 3, I demonstrate that ERP can be used for measure of a specific aspect of executive functioning in infancy, working memory, and that ERP measures of working memory have longitudinal predictive validity with executive functioning later in childhood. In Chapter 4, I demonstrate that ERP can also be used as infant neurocognitive outcome measures to pinpoint the impact of prenatal exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on specific perceptual and cognitive processes. Taken together, this dissertation provides three compelling examples of how developmental cognitive neuroscience measures can enhance our understanding of cognitive development in infancy. These studies also lay groundwork for future research, offering promising methodologies and measures for exploring various cognitive domains within developing populations.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Grantor

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2025

Author dc:creator

• Liu, Yiyu

Contributors dc:contributor

• Hyde, Daniel C.
• Fisher, Cynthia L.
• Schantz, Susan L.
• Rizzo, Michael T.
• Aguiar, Andrea

• infant neuroimaging, cognitive development, neural development, fNIRS, ERP

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2025 Yiyu Liu

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132615

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/132615