Sam Wass

Sam Wass

@profsamwass.bsky.social

👶👨‍⚕️Child Psychologist/Neuroscientist🧠, attention and stress, 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Dad of 2, 💻 @ERC_Research Fellow.

129 followers10 following29 posts

Sam Wass
@profsamwass.bsky.social

To support the launch of ‪@booktrust.org.uk‬'s Reading Rights report today with ‪@frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social‬, here are six neuroscience-informed tips for sharing books with young children 👇

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Sam Wass
@profsamwass.bsky.social

To support the launch of ‪@booktrust.org.uk‬'s Reading Rights report today with ‪@frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social‬, here are six neuroscience-informed tips for sharing books with young children 👇

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Sam Wass
@profsamwass.bsky.social

Clarity: Hyper-articulating speech sounds by exaggerating mouth movements helps young children to hear the differences between words. It also helps if your child can see your mouth while you’re talking. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2010.01004.x

Sam Wass
@profsamwass.bsky.social

To support the launch of ‪@booktrust.org.uk‬'s Reading Rights report today with ‪@frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social‬, here are six neuroscience-informed tips for sharing books with young children 👇

Sam Wass
@profsamwass.bsky.social

Repetition: young brains are messy and overconnected. When they want to read the same book over and over, or look at the same picture – go with it! Doing things repeatedly helps to ‘practice’ understanding something, which builds stronger brain networks. t.co/wssvev7XXG

Sam Wass
@profsamwass.bsky.social

When it comes to early years screen media – how fast-paced is TOO fast? Just heard 🎉🍾🍾 we got funding from @LeverhulmeTrust for new project measuring how young brains respond to screen media in real time. With @JuliaDavidson13, Rachel Barr, @jessen_sarah, @MarriottIra, PLabendzki

Sam Wass
@profsamwass.bsky.social

Just out in Nature Communications Psychology - in a multilingual corpus of child-directed songs, the cumulative-compressibility of the lyrics reveals multiscale complexity patterns that could support different relevant functions, e.g. attention, learning and bonding. www.nature.com/articles/s44...

nature.comTemporal patterns in the complexity of child-directed song lyrics reflect their functions - Communications PsychologyIn a multilingual corpus of child-directed songs, an analysis of the cumulative-compressibility of the lyrics reveals multiscale complexity patterns that could support different relevant fuctions, e.g...
Sam Wass
@profsamwass.bsky.social

Are brain states in children passively generated in response to things that happen in our environment? Or are they actively created through micro-level movements? Big questions in latest pre-preprint from @MarriottIra that re-examines developmental EEG findings 👇 1/8

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Sam Wass
@profsamwass.bsky.social

This matters because it suggests that, for almost any study that used EEG to look at brain activity using non-event-locked paradigms, findings could be due to timing/geography of fine-grained eye movements, or brain differences time-locked to eye shifts… 7/8

Sam Wass
@profsamwass.bsky.social

Are brain states in children passively generated in response to things that happen in our environment? Or are they actively created through micro-level movements? Big questions in latest pre-preprint from @MarriottIra that re-examines developmental EEG findings 👇 1/8

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Sam Wass
@profsamwass.bsky.social

They are slower, which may drive developmental differences in frequency domain observed in previous resting state studies. FRPs also differentiate between social/non-social contexts, which may drive previously observed differences in frequency domain activity between contexts 5/8

Sam Wass
@profsamwass.bsky.social

Theta activity, often treated as a marker of engagement/attention (in our previous papers and tonnes others!) now suddenly looks like sum of transient fixation-related P1/N170 components. Eg data sections where no FRPs present show strongly attenuated oscillatory activity. 6/8

Sam Wass
@profsamwass.bsky.social

Are brain states in children passively generated in response to things that happen in our environment? Or are they actively created through micro-level movements? Big questions in latest pre-preprint from @MarriottIra that re-examines developmental EEG findings 👇 1/8

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Sam Wass
@profsamwass.bsky.social

Using co-registered eyetracking and EEG in 24-month-olds and adults we look at transient increases in cortical excitability time-locked to eye movements (~3/sec). We can clearly separate eye movement-related artifact and genuine neural activity linked to offset of saccade 3/8

Sam Wass
@profsamwass.bsky.social

These fixation-related potentials (FRPs) look very different in children compared with adults – more specific to particular frequency bands, etc – but a lot like evoked response potentials seen in passive, event-related paradigms. 4/8

Sam Wass
@profsamwass.bsky.social

Are brain states in children passively generated in response to things that happen in our environment? Or are they actively created through micro-level movements? Big questions in latest pre-preprint from @MarriottIra that re-examines developmental EEG findings 👇 1/8

Sam Wass
@profsamwass.bsky.social

The paper looks at how previous findings on changes in frequency-domain brain activity with age – eg changes in resting-state activity, ratio of theta/alpha between social/non-social viewing contexts etc - may be driven by transient changes during to micro-level eye movements2/8

Sam Wass
@profsamwass.bsky.social

New preprint - 'From salience to semantics: multilevel hierarchical contingencies organise parent-infant joint attention' by Pierre Labendzki, @martaperapoch with Louise Goupil, @EmilyDevNeuro and team from @UEL_BabyDevLab DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.26638.47686

Sam Wass reposted

International Society for Developmental Psychobiology (ISDP)
@isdp.org

A PhD Student opportunity funded by ESRC UBEL Doctoral and Training Pathway Scheme and Procter & Gamble, based mainly at www.uelbabydev.com @profsamwass.bsky.social in London with regular visits to P&G labs in Germany. isdp.org/2025/02/21/a...

isdp.orgA PhD Student opportunity based mainly at the UEL BABY DEV LAB in London with regular visits to P&G labs in Germany - International Society for Developmental Psychobiology (ISDP)See below for a PhD opportunity funded by ESRC UBEL Doctoral and Training Pathway Scheme and Procter & Gamble, based mainly at www.uelbabydev.com in London with regular visits to P&G labs in Germany. ...
Sam Wass
@profsamwass.bsky.social

Join @MusharafAsghar, @DingleyCEO, @TTSResources, @theearlyyearsdietitian, @cherylJ_warren, @BoogieMites, Neil Leitch, Shannon Pite and me at @EYAlliance Celebrating SEND roadshows in Nottingham and Bristol this year - book here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/alliance-c...

eventbrite.co.ukAlliance Connect Roadshows: Celebrating SEND – a world without limitsJoin one of our two interactive and inspiring events where we explore how we as early educators can deliver truly inclusive practice
Sam Wass
@profsamwass.bsky.social

FREE @EYAlliance family corner session tomorrow - Michael Rosen, Tiny Happy People, tips on outdoor learning, early language, neurodiversity www.familycorner.co.uk/home-where-s...

familycorner.co.ukHome is where the start is: a free online festival of fun and learningHome is where the start is: a world of possibilities A free online festival of fun and learning for the whole family! Our online family festival celebrating the role of parents and carers as their chi...
Sam Wass
@profsamwass.bsky.social

I was at this too it was SO cool 📚

Nicolette Jones@nicolettejones.bsky.social

Messages for government about children's reading at the Reading Rights summit with @frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social @michaelrosenyes.bsky.social @cressidacowell.bsky.social and many more experts. @bookbrunch.bsky.social www.bookbrunch.co.uk/page/article...

bookbrunch.co.ukFrank Cottrell Boyce hosts The Reading Rights SummitCressida Cowell and Michael Rosen among speakers, while Chris Riddell creates live illustrations

Sam Wass reposted

SF Said
@whatsfsaid.bsky.social

You can never have enough Jan Pieńkowski! Here's a tribute I wrote to his work, when he won the @booktrust.bsky.social Lifetime Achievement Award: www.sfsaid.com/2019/05/jan-...

sfsaid.comJan Pieńkowski – BookTrust Lifetime Achievement AwardSF Said, personal blog, Varjak Paw, The Outlaw Varjak Paw, Phoenix, Varjak, books, S F Said, author, blog, writing
Rose Ruane@regretteruane.bsky.social

Another Puffin Post magazine with a beautiful cover by Jan Pieńkowski

Sam Wass reposted

BookTrust
@booktrust.org.uk

Our #ReadingRights Summit with Waterstones #ChildrensLaureate @frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social is tomorrow! As part of his learning ahead of the Summit, Frank visited a Baby Lab to discover what happens to a baby's brain when they're read to... www.booktrust.org.uk/news-and-fea...

booktrust.org.uk“This was biological. We saw two minds enter communion around the story”: Frank Cottrell-Boyce visits a baby labFind out what Frank Cottrell-Boyce took from his visit to the University of East London's Baby Lab, where he watched what happens to a baby's brain when they're read to.
Sam Wass
@profsamwass.bsky.social

Best line from this is @frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social's about how cheap reading aloud to children is! There is TONNES of good scientific evidence for beneficial effects of reading to children - if you want a reference list DM me www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

bbc.co.ukBBC Sounds - Music. Radio. PodcastsListen without limits, with BBC Sounds. Catch the latest music tracks, discover binge-worthy podcasts, or listen to radio shows - all whenever you want.
The Writing Web@thewritingweb.bsky.social

What does reading do to a child's brain? As part of his #R4Today guest edit, @frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social visits the BabyDevLab at the University of East London to chat to developmental cognitive neuroscientist Dr Sam Wass. 🙌🏾 www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

bbc.co.ukRadio 4 - Listen Live - BBC SoundsListen live to BBC Radio 4 on BBC Sounds

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