Klaus Libertus

Research Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology

Center Associate, Learning Research & Development Center

Research Interests

In my research, I investigate the role of motor development for social cognition abilities in typically developing children and in children at risk for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). To identify changes in cognitive and social abilities following the acquisition of new motor milestones, I use motor training and enrichment paradigms with very young infants to facilitate motor development (e.g., using "Sticky Mittens") and eye tracking assessments to evaluate social perception.

Recent Publications

Thippana, J., Elliott, L., Gehman, S., Libertus, K., & Libertus, M. (2020). Parents’ use of number talk with young children: Comparing methods, family factors, activity contexts, and relations to math skills. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 53, 249-259.

Libertus, K., Libertus, M., Einspieler, C., & Marschik, P. (2017). "What" matters more than "Why" - Neonatal behaviors initiate social responses. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 40.

Libertus, K., Greif, M. L., Needham, A., & Pelphrey, K. A. (2016). Infants’ observation of tool-use events over the first year of life. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 152, 123-135.

Libertus, K., & Violi, D. A. (2016). Sit to talk: Relation between motor skills and language development in infancy. Frontiers in Psychology.

News and Awards