Professor Kimberly Cuevas

Dr. Cuevas is Director of the CAP (Cognition, Action, and Psychophysiology) lab which studies the building blocks of early cognitive development. She examines the development of basic and higher order cognitive skills throughout infancy and childhood with a focus on how brain maturation and underlying brain-behavior associations contribute to early cognitive processes.

What are you most excited by when it comes to child development?
I love watching how their minds work! Whether it is that moment they figure something out or putting yourself in their “shoes” and thinking about how they view and think about the world.

What is the best way to create fun, positive, lasting memories for young children?
If you can carve out some distraction-free time (away from work, phone, social media, and so on) and listen, those memories will make themselves. Little things we take for granted – family walks, playing, even chores – are a big deal for them, especially if they are doing it together with you fully engaged.

What one piece of advice do you have for parents who would like to help their child develop?
They are only this age once – don’t let that pass you by focusing on what’s next! Kids learn a ton by playing, so keep an eye on their interests and have fun together. A supportive family relationship sets the foundation for social, emotional, and cognitive development.

UTM-EM-055-APR-21

ADDITIONAL SOURCES: https://wyethnutritionsc.org/Professor-Kimberly-Cuevas

https://kidcaplab.uconn.edu/

https://kidcaplab.uconn.edu/our-research/

https://kidcaplab.uconn.edu/meet-the-lab/