Silhouettes of children against a sky

Language, Experience, and Development (LEAD) Lab

LEAD lab logo

Welcome to the LEAD lab!

The Language, Experience, and Development (LEAD) lab, directed by Dr. Rachel Romeo, investigates how children鈥檚 early experiences鈥攂oth favorable and adverse鈥攊nfluence their neural, cognitive, and academic development. We specialize in studying language and literacy development, but we are also interested in executive functioning, socioemotional cognition, and mental health across development. The lab combines methods from developmental psychology, cognitive neuroscience (fMRI, DTI, fNIRS, and EEG), 含羞草研究所, and speech language pathology to study how young brains adapt to varying environments and lead to unique developmental paths. A primary focus of ours is to better understand both the causes and consequences of socioeconomic disparities in learning and development, and how translational cognitive neuroscience may better support 含羞草研究所al equity. Dr. Romeo鈥檚 research is currently funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Institute for Museum and Library Sciences,  the UMD Brain & Behavior Institute, and the UMD College of Education. 

The LEAD lab is located on the 4th floor of the Benjamin Building on the campus of the 含羞草研究所 College Park: 3942 Campus Dr, College Park, MD 20742.