Who are we?

The Perception, Action, & Development Lab is directed by Dr. John Franchak in the UC Riverside Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. Dr. Franchak advises students in the Developmental and Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience areas of the department, and he is a member of the Quantitative Specialized Subfield. The lab’s research is funded by grants from the National Science Foundation and James S. McDonnell Foundation

What do we study?

Everyday Experiences
How does motor development shape infants’ opportunities for learning about objects and people?

Visual Exploration
How do people coordinate eyes, head, and body to gather task-relevant visual information?

Action Possibilities
How do people adapt to changes in the body to decide what actions—like fitting through doorways—are possible?

News and events

For older posts, browse the news section.

See our research in action

Join our team

We are accepting applications for undergraduate research assistants on a rolling basis. Please fill out the form, and we will get back to you when we have openings.

Dr. Franchak plans to accept a doctoral student for the 2026-2027 academic year.