PROJECT SUMMARY
Exposures to toxic metals and psychological and social stressors during sensitive periods of fetal and infant
development are associated with poorer child cognitive and socioemotional development. There is also evidence
for moderating effects between toxic metals and psychological and social stressors, such that the effects of toxic
metals on development may be conditional upon exposures to psychological and social stress and vice versa.
Because physical, psychological, and social risk factors tend to cluster, the study of combined exposures may
be more ecologically valid. Though prior studies have utilized two-way statistical interactions to examine these
combined effects, these models still fall short in recognizing that individuals are concurrently exposed to multiple
risk and protective factors across the physical and social environments. Previous studies have also failed to
rigorously test the extent to which caregiving experience may mitigate or exacerbate the effects of prenatal
exposure to toxic metals on child outcomes. Using longitudinal data from the Brain and Early Experiences Study
and a finite mixture modeling approach, this study will: 1) categorize prenatal exposures to toxic metals,
psychological and social risk factors, and protective factors into latent profiles of prenatal risk; 2) test associations
between latent profiles of prenatal risk and indices of child cognitive and socioemotional development at 36
months old; and 3) examine indices of caregiving experience as moderators for the effects of latent profiles of
prenatal risk on child cognitive and socioemotional development. Throughout these analyses, inferences
between the latent profile approach and more traditional statistical approaches (i.e., two-way interactions) will
be compared. This study will examine prenatal toxic metal and psychological and social risk holistically and has
the potential to identify strategies to offset the effects of prenatal toxic metals and psychological and social risk
on child development. The accompanying training plan will provide Ms. Wylie with the foundation to build her
program of research which will combine developmental and public health sciences to study the joint influences
of the physical and social environments on child development, and how positive social experience may be used
to mitigate the effects of physical and chemical stressors. Specifically, Ms. Wylie will a) build her substantive
expertise in early life environmental exposures relevant to child neurodevelopment and their mechanisms of
action; b) expand her quantitative skillset towards the application of finite mixture models and moderation
analyses; c) expand her expertise in the study of protective social environments in early life; and d) develop her
interdisciplinary collaborations and career development skills. Ms. Wylie has assembled a stellar and cohesive
mentorship team from the disciplines of developmental science, environmental science, and quantitative
psychology. This mentorship team carries the expertise, experience, and dedication to Ms. Wylie’s professional
development that will ensure the successful completion of her training goals and research plan.
