Nathan Fox (psychologist)

Nathan A. Fox
OccupationDistinguished University Professor
Academic background
Alma materWilliams College, Harvard University
Academic work
InstitutionsUniversity of Maryland
Main interestsHuman Development, Quantitative Methodology

Nathan A. Fox is a developmental psychologist known for his contributions to understanding how environmental factors affect early development.[1][2] He holds the position of Distinguished University Professor of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology at the University of Maryland.

Fox is known for his involvement in the Bucharest Early Intervention Project,[3] a longitudinal study of the effects of social deprivation experienced by children who were abandoned by their families and living in institutions in Bucharest, Romania. He and his colleagues Charles Nelson III, and Charles H. Zeanah are all Principal Investigators of the study. The Bucharest Early Intervention Project was a randomized controlled trial examining the impact of foster care as an intervention for children abandoned at birth. The study tracked children's neuropsychological and cognitive development from infancy through adolescence using metrics such as electroencephalography (EEG), fMRI, and language and cognitive assessments.[4] Findings of this study have been discussed in The New York Times,[5] Nature,[6] and many other media outlets.

  1. ^ Gallagher, Winifred (September 1, 1994). "How We Become What We Are". The Atlantic. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  2. ^ Greene, Melissa Fay (June 18, 2020). "30 Years Ago, Romania Deprived Thousands of Babies of Human Contact". The Atlantic. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  3. ^ "Bucharest Early Intervention Project Homepage". www.bucharestearlyinterventionproject.org. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  4. ^ "About BEIP". www.bucharestearlyinterventionproject.org. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  5. ^ James, Barry; Tribune, International Herald (June 6, 2002). "U.S. study of Romanian children faces European challenge". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  6. ^ Turner, Marian (May 17, 2011). "Stress can shorten telomeres in childhood". Nature. doi:10.1038/news.2011.298. ISSN 1476-4687.