Lindsay C. Bowman

Lindsay C. Bowman serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Davis, and directs the Brain and Social Cognition (BASC) Lab within the Center for Mind and Brain. Her academic trajectory includes postdoctoral research at the University of Maryland Child Development Lab and Harvard Medical School/Boston Children's Hospital.

Her educational background comprises:

• Ph.D. in Psychology, University of Michigan (2013)
• B.S. in Psychology, Queen's University (2007)

Dr. Bowman's research centers on the neural and behavioral foundations of social cognition development during infancy and childhood. She investigates how children acquire the capacity to understand mental states (theory of mind), process social cues, and regulate emotions through biological and experiential changes. Her interdisciplinary approach integrates cognitive neuroscience with developmental psychology to map the 'social brain' across critical developmental periods.

Analysis of her 2012-2015 publications reveals consistent focus on neural mechanisms underlying belief/desire reasoning in childhood, utilizing fNIRS and ERP methodologies. Her work demonstrates how neuroimaging advances illuminate developmental pathways in social understanding, with implications for both typical and atypical development.

Her scientific recognition includes:

• Rackham Predoctoral Dissertation Fellowship (2012-2013)
• Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Scholarships (2008-2012)
• Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award (2013)
• Canadian Psychological Association Award (2007)
• Queen's University academic prizes (2007)

As Principal Investigator of the BASC Lab, Dr. Bowman mentors students in neuroscientific research while teaching Developmental Psychology, Cognitive Development, and Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience courses. Her professional affiliations span the Society for Research in Child Development, Cognitive Development Society, and Cognitive Neuroscience Society.

The BASC Lab employs multimodal approaches (EEG, ERP, fNIRS, behavioral observation) to study social cognitive development, emphasizing neural correlates of theory of mind and emotion processing across infancy through middle childhood.