The Health Behaviors & Cognition Laboratory (HBCL) engages in highly interdisciplinary research, drawing heavily from the domains of kinesiology, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience. The aim of this research is to investigate how aspects of health-oriented behaviors modulate the development and efficiency of cognitive processes. To better understand this relationship, research in the HBCL utilizes behavioral, neuroelectric, and other neuroimaging techniques to programatically examine how health behaviors and attributes such as cardiovascular fitness may serve to influence developmental neurocognition and higher-order cognition through cross-sectional and longitudinal intervention studies.

This research aims to gain a greater understanding of the neurological mechanisms underlying these relationships with a focus on the translation of this relationship to the externally-valid environment. By incorporating both basic and translational perspectives, our research may serve to develop a more integrative understanding of the mind-body interaction and promote legislative change directed at the creation of more physical activity opportunities and the promotion of increased quality of life.