Dr. Perlman’s multi-model research program bridges the fields of social and cognitive development and social, cognitive, and affective neuroscience to form a field known as Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. She employs multiple methodological techniques including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), psychophysiological measures, eye tracking, and other behavioral and questionnaire measures to conduct cognitive and neural analyses of mechanisms underlying the development of emotion and its effects on social interactions. She is primarily interested in the preschool period where she uses neuroscience measurements to determine which kids are most likely to develop later psychiatric disorders based on temperament profiles. This research is designed to aid us in early intervention during a period of increased brain plasticity. Other branches of her laboratory include children who were exposed to opioids in utero and children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.