Rajalakshmi Madhavan
Postdoctoral Research Associate

Profile

Biography

I am a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of York, under Dr. Catherine Laing. I completed my PhD at the University of Göttingen in 2024, where I investigated how caregiver-child dynamics in interactions shape children’s early word learning. My project, which was part of the broader Research Training Group project for Understanding Social Relationships, investigated how children’s selective attention and interests, along with caregiver input, boosted novel word learning from caregiver-child interactions such has shared book reading and free toy play. During my time in Göttingen, I also taught several bachelor- and masters-level courses in scientific writing, introductory statistics, and introductory psycholinguistics.

In our current project we explore the role of sensorimotor feedback in infants as a mechanism of language learning.

Research

Overview

My research focus is on the development of young children's language development, exploring how their multi-sensory experiences, caregiver's input and interactions between caregivers and children influence this process.

Recent Publications

Madhavan, R., Malem, B., Ackermann, L., Mundry, R., Mani, N. (2024). An examination of measures of young children's interest in natural object categories. Cortex. 175, 124–148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2024.02.015

Madhavan, R., & Mani, N. (2024). The quality of caregiver-child interaction is predicted by (caregivers’ perception of) their child’s interests. Royal Society Open Science. 11(4). 231677. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.231677