Research at the UCD Babylab, led by Associate Professor Michelle Downes, aims to better understand how the brain and behaviour of infants and young children develop in the first six years of life.

The first five years of life represent a period of rapid neurological, emotional, and social growth, during which early experiences have a lasting influence. This presentation explores how the quality of caregiver–child interactions supports the emergence of self-regulation, including executive function, in children aged 0–5. Drawing on a set of studies with diverse samples, including preterm and full-term children, findings demonstrate that sensitive and responsive caregiving nurtures children’s foundational regulatory processes. By highlighting early relational experiences as a key context for developmental trajectories, this work emphasizes the potential of interventions that strengthen caregiver responsiveness to foster adaptive outcomes in early childhood.