Jasmine Yeung

Mary Gates Research Scholar, Autumn 2024

Research Project: Children are Resilient: Reframing Cognitive Flexibility as an Adaptation in Adults with Experiences of Unpredictable Childhoods.

Project Description: I am investigating the effects of childhood unpredictability on future cognitive flexibility. We predict that adults with prior experiences of unpredictable childhoods would demonstrate enhanced cognitive flexibility. The current narrative surrounding children and adults with prior experiences of adversity utilizes a deficit-based perspective. They are viewed as having lower impulse control, engaging in risk-seeking behavior, and showing later language disorders. My study attempts to shift the perspective to account for children’s strengths in adverse environments. I hope to show policymakers, researchers, and children themselves that children with adverse experiences are resilient and adaptable agents with the ability to overcome immensely difficult experiences.

What have you learned throughout your research project? I learned that every step of each research project is highly significant. The literature you consume —including how in-depth each paper is read, the definition of each variable, each measure and its surrounding literature, and each line of code in your data analysis have the ability to make or break your entire research project. It is crucial that we take the time to complete each step and not rush the process! As a researcher, it is important that the research that you are consuming and producing is accurate and produced without bias — our job is to push out research that advances our field, not to further complicate our understanding of our world.

What piece of advice do you have for future applicants? Reflect on your passion! What is a project that truly sparks joy for you? Being able to dedicate a lot of your free time to complete this project (for me, I took more than a year to complete this project!) requires a lot of passion and continued motivation!