Community And Resilient Environments (CARE) Project
Researcher: Arianna Gard
Description: The CARE Project is a community-driven study of teen neurodevelopment. Developed in partnership with youth and adult advisory board members from Washington DC, the study examines how experiencing community violence leads to brain-based cognitive adaptations. The MRI is an optional part of the study in which youth participants (ages 9-11 years old) watch short movies and play four rounds of a computer game. One hypothesis from the study is that teens who experience more community violence will get really good at shifting their attention between different tasks rather than completing one task for a very long time. If this hypothesis were to be supported by the data, it would have implications for the way school schedules and activities are developed so that all students thrive and enjoy school. Families who participate in the project receive individualized feedback, pictures of their own brain, a 3D printout of their brain, and an optional UMD campus tour!
If you are interested in participating in the next wave of the CARE Project, please click below for more information! We are recruiting for our Youth and Adult Community Advisory Boards!
