Daphne Bavelier

Group name: Brain and learning Lab

Affiliations: Faculty of Psychology and Science of Education, Psychology Section

Domains: Development and Plasticity, Language and Communication, Perception, Attention and Cognition

Keywords: attention, brain plasticity, deafness, video games

Research activities

A distinctive feature of the human brain is its capacity to learn and adapt to an ever-changing environment. What are the factors that promote such learning and brain plasticity? Are some parts of our nervous system more plastic than others, making some skills easier to acquire? Answers to these questions are central to basic science, education, clinical rehabilitation, and aging. To address these questions, my laboratory uses a multidisciplinary approach (behavior, brain imaging, eye tracking, vital statistics) to study how individuals learn and adapt to changes in experience, whether induced by nature (deafness) or training (playing video games). Our work and that of others in the field highlights that, although possible, learning and brain plasticity tend to be highly specific. Overcoming this specificity would be advantageous. Our research focuses on characterizing the factors that may contribute to greater plasticity and wider transfer of learning, and understanding the mechanisms by which they act.

Group website