Scott A. Adler

Faculty & School/Dept.

Faculty of Health - Department of Psychology

Degrees

Ph.D. - 1995
Rutgers University
New Jersey, USA

Bachelor of Science - 1990
Brooklyn College, City University of New York
New York, USA

Master's - 1992
Rutgers University
New Jersey, USA

Biography

Selected Publications

 

 Adler, S.A., Bala, J., & Krauzlis, R. (2002).  Primacy of spatial information in target selection for pursuit and saccades.  Journal of Vision, 2, 627-644. 

 Adler, S.A., & Haith, M.M. (2003).  The nature of infants' visual expectations for event content.  Infancy, 4, 389-421.

 Adler, S.A., & Orprecio, J. (2006).  The eyes have it: Visual pop-out in infants and adults.  Developmental Science, 9, 189-206.

 Adler, S.A., Haith, M.M., Arehart, D.M., & Lanthier, E.C. (2008). Infants’ visual expectations and the processing of time.  Journal of Cognition and Development, 9, 1-25.

Adler, S. A. & Gallego, P.  (2014).  Search asymmetry and eye movements in infants and adults.  Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 76, 1590-1608.  doi: 10.3758/s13414-014-0667-6

Adler, S.A., & Wong-Kee-You, A.M.B. (2015).  Differential attentional responding in caesarean versus vaginally delivered infants.  Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 77, 2529-2539. doi: 10.3758/s13414-015-0969-3

Wong-Kee-You, A.M.B., & Adler, S.A. (2016).  Anticipatory eye movements and long-term memory in early infancy.  Developmental Psychobiology, 58, 841-851.  doi: 10.1002/dev.21472

Comishen, K.J., Bialystok, E., & Adler, S.A. (2019).  The impact of bilingual environments on selective attention in infancy.  Developmental Science, 22(4), e12797.  doi: 10.1111/desc.12797

Comishen, K.J., & Adler, S.A. (2019).  The development of infants’ expectations for event timing.  Timing and Time Perception, 7, 219-242.  doi: 10.1163/22134468-20191148

Wong-Kee-You, A.M.B., Tsotsos, J., & Adler, S.A. (2019).  Spatial attention-modulated surround suppression across development: A psychophysical study.  Journal of Vision, 19(7):9, 1-16.  doi: 10.1167/19.7.9.

Adler, S.A., Comishen, K.J., Wong-Kee-You, A.M.B., & Chubb, C. (2020). Sensitivity to major versus minor musical modes is bimodally distributed in young infants.  The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 147(6), 3758-3764.  doi: 10.1121/10.0001349.

Affiliations

Awards

Supervision

Currently available to supervise graduate students: Yes

Currently taking on work-study students, Graduate Assistants or Volunteers: Yes

Available to supervise undergraduate thesis projects: Yes

Current Research

Our visual and cognitive functioning are heavily influenced by the experiences encountered by the individual early in life and by the inital state of those capacities.  In the lab, we investigate the impact of these early experiences and the initial states of visual attention, perceptual, and memory processes.  Of particular interest is the impact of one of the earliest experiences we encounter, that of birth.  Studies have examined the role of C-section birth on visual attention, rule learning, and object perception in young infants and adults.  Additionally, studies have assessed brain structure and functioning in adults as determined by C-section birth.  Future work will further examine how birth and different types of birth types impact visual and cognitive development.  Additionally, research will investigate the extent of cognitive processes that are influenced by one's birth experience.

Research Projects

Development of Selective Attention in Infants
This project seeks to determine infants' capacity for selective attention relative to adults on such tasks as visual search, visual cueing, and negative priming, and to establish the assessment of infants' eye movements as a critical measure of their selective attention mechanisms.
Role: Principal Investigator
Amount funded: $100,000
Year Funded: 2010
Duration: 2
Funded by: National Institutes of Health (US)

Exploring the Caesarean Birth Experience as a Risk Factor for Attentional and Cognitive Developmental Consequences
We have long understood that prenatal circumstances and the early months and years are critical to human development. However, we are only just beginning to understand that the birth experience may also have a significant impact on human health. Recent studies have indicated that being delivered by C-section increases a child’s risk of physical health challenges including contracting diabetes, developing allergies, and becoming obese. What is not well-known is the role the birth experience itself plays in cognitive, and particularly attentional, development. This project investigates the role birth plays in visual, cognitive, and brain development from infancy to adulthood.
Role: Principal Investigator
Amount funded: $238,000
Year Funded: 2016
Duration: 9
Funded by: York University

Curriculum Vitae (C.V. file):

CV of Scott A. Adler