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HDQM Colloquium - Rachel Romeo

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HDQM Colloquium - Rachel Romeo

Maryland Language Science Center | Human Development & Quantitative Methodology Wednesday, October 15, 2025 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm Art-Sociology Building, 1213

Note: RSVP required because of limited capacity!

If you previously RSVP'd but know or decide that you actually CAN'T attend, please let us know on this form. If you were unable to RSVP, but would like to be added to a list and added if possible, please fill in your information here.

 

Rachel Romeo, Assistant Professor, HDQM

Co-Development of Language and Executive Functioning in Early Childhood: Experiential and Brain Mechanisms

Abstract: How do children’s everyday language experiences shape their cognitive development? And how do developing brain systems adapt to and support this process? In this talk, I will present my recent program of research investigating the co-development of language and executive functioning (EF) in early childhood, and the experiential and neurobiological mechanisms that underlie this relationship. First, drawing on data from a large, 10-year longitudinal cohort, I demonstrate that children’s early language skills scaffold the growth of EF, particularly in the early preschool years, and that these processes help explain socioeconomic variation in EF development. Extending this work, I examine how three different dimensions of caregiver language input—interactive, linguistic, and conceptual—uniquely and differentially contribute to children’s language and EF trajectories. Finally, I highlight ongoing NIH-funded research that uses neuroimaging (fMRI and fNIRS) to test how cascading frontotemporal brain networks support the intertwined development of language and EF during this critical period. Throughout, I examine how certain contextual moderators—including socioeconomic adversity, multilingualism, family stress, and parent-child relationships—my help explain variation both within and between children. Together, this work contributes to a mechanistic understanding of how children’s day-to-day experiences shape cascading systems of neurocognitive development, with implications for promoting resilient developmental trajectories and supporting children’s school readiness.

  • 12:00 - 12:30 - lunch (provided, but bring your own drink)
  • 12:30 - 1:30 - talk
  • 1:30 - 2:00 - Q&A
Add to Calendar 10/15/25 12:00:00 10/15/25 14:00:00 America/New_York HDQM Colloquium - Rachel Romeo

Note: RSVP required because of limited capacity!

If you previously RSVP'd but know or decide that you actually CAN'T attend, please let us know on this form. If you were unable to RSVP, but would like to be added to a list and added if possible, please fill in your information here.

 

Rachel Romeo, Assistant Professor, HDQM

Co-Development of Language and Executive Functioning in Early Childhood: Experiential and Brain Mechanisms

Abstract: How do children’s everyday language experiences shape their cognitive development? And how do developing brain systems adapt to and support this process? In this talk, I will present my recent program of research investigating the co-development of language and executive functioning (EF) in early childhood, and the experiential and neurobiological mechanisms that underlie this relationship. First, drawing on data from a large, 10-year longitudinal cohort, I demonstrate that children’s early language skills scaffold the growth of EF, particularly in the early preschool years, and that these processes help explain socioeconomic variation in EF development. Extending this work, I examine how three different dimensions of caregiver language input—interactive, linguistic, and conceptual—uniquely and differentially contribute to children’s language and EF trajectories. Finally, I highlight ongoing NIH-funded research that uses neuroimaging (fMRI and fNIRS) to test how cascading frontotemporal brain networks support the intertwined development of language and EF during this critical period. Throughout, I examine how certain contextual moderators—including socioeconomic adversity, multilingualism, family stress, and parent-child relationships—my help explain variation both within and between children. Together, this work contributes to a mechanistic understanding of how children’s day-to-day experiences shape cascading systems of neurocognitive development, with implications for promoting resilient developmental trajectories and supporting children’s school readiness.

  • 12:00 - 12:30 - lunch (provided, but bring your own drink)
  • 12:30 - 1:30 - talk
  • 1:30 - 2:00 - Q&A
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