Research Interests

The process by which we learn through observation of others has been associated with the acquisition of a range of complex skilled behaviors in humans as well as some animal species. Zebra finches, for instance, learn to produce their songs by listening to and trying to imitate their father. The focus of our research is to examine the changes in the songbird brain that occur throughout development, in order to discover synaptic mechanisms that are critical for shaping observational learning for singing behavior.