Philip Zelazo

Philip Zelazo is the Nancy M. and John E. Lindahl Leadership Chair Professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth. His research integrates developmental psychology, cognitive science, and developmental cognitive neuroscience to examine executive function from early childhood through adolescence. Recent work includes validating the NIH Baby Toolbox® Executive Function and Memory measures, investigating how metacognitive prompts influence neural processing and task performance in 7- to 9-year-olds, and exploring autistic stimming beyond self-regulation frameworks. He also studies hot executive function—the role of emotion in cognitive control—and the link between behavioral inhibition, executive function, and anxiety in young children. His current projects emphasize fostering executive-function skills and promoting far transfer to real-world outcomes through life skills and civic science. He recently received a 212,259 CAD award for developing an integrated system measuring cognitive, executive, and behavioral function across multiple levels of analysis.