Research in the Child Development Lab and a Newfound Appreciation for Coding

 Ricaute Rogers, Verrazzano Class of 2022, completed major in Psychology BS

With the completion of my capstone project, there is much to take away and be grateful for. My project focused on infant sleep and how it was affected by the motor acquisition. In other words, I examined how sleep changed in infants when they were learning how to sit.

This research opportunity took place virtually in the Child Development Lab due to COVID restrictions, and I was able to get a first-hand view of the lab’s ability to function during a pandemic.

During my time in the lab, which was headed by Dr. Sarah Berger, I learned that the workflow of the lab did not slow down, nor did the lab's significance decline because of the situation it was placed in. We simply learned how to adapt and overcome, and being part of the process was a blessing.

Going into college freshman year, I honestly never saw myself working in the Child Development Lab. If you told me I was going to work in the Child Development Lab during a pandemic, I would tell you you’re lying. The uniqueness of the situation granted all the memories that I have, and hopefully it’s something that I can look back at and laugh at, as an age where we were all staring at our laptops and working collectively.

The last thing I’ll share about the lab is just being thankful for getting the opportunity to code for infant research. In my senior year of high school, I took an introduction to computer science class, and I absolutely hated it. I told myself that I would never code again. The Child Development Lab gave me a new perspective on coding and honestly opened a door that I thought I had closed. Without completing this capstone and joining the Child Development Lab, getting that second opportunity would be have never happened.