Undergraduate Research & Scholarships

Abby Blaine

Research Article on the Development of Social Referencing

I will be working on an article focusing on how emotional communication from others powerfully affects an infant’s behavior, and more specifically, how emotional signaling from the mother can affect the infant’s behavior towards objects and events about which the infant is uncertain. This article will center on the importance of face, voice and gesture on the infant’s behavior regulation, how enduring these effects are at different ages of infancy, and the development of the infant’s responsiveness to these emotional signals. It will also identify the age of onset of an infant’s sensitivity to emotional signals and the role of social referencing of emotions not present in the first year of life such as shame, pride, and perhaps guilt.

Message To Sponsor

I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to further develop my research skills in a subject that I love and intend to pursue as a career. I will be better prepared for graduate school, and can begin to author publications that advance understanding in the field of psychology. I also now feel more comfortable applying to graduate programs in psychology.
Profile image of Abby Blaine
Major: Psychology
Mentor: Joseph Campos, Psychology
Sponsor: DeBenedetti Fund
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