John Colombo


John Colombo
  • Professor
  • Director of Life Span Institute

Biography

I received my Ph.D. in Psychology (1981) from the State University of New York at Buffalo. After one year at Youngstown State University (1981-1982), and six years (1982-1988) as a research associate with the Bureau of Child Research at the University of Kansas, I joined the faculty of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Kansas in 1988, and have been a member of the Department of Psychology since January of 2002. My research interests are in the developmental cognitive neuroscience of attention and learning, with a special focus on early individual differences in these areas and how they relate to the typical and atypical development of cognitive and intellectual function. I conduct research in laboratories at the KU Edwards Campus and the KU Medical Center, as well as at the Wakarusa Research Facility in Lawrence.

Education

Ph.D. in Psychology, State University of New York at Buffalo

Research

  • Developmental cognitive neuroscience
  • Nutrition and cognitive development
  • Attention
  • Developmental origins of health and disease
  • Autonomic function and behavior
  • Developmental systems theory
  • Developmental research design and quantitative methods
  • Individual differences in cognition in infancy and early childhood

Teaching

  • Infancy
  • Cognition
  • Cognitive development
  • Developmental cognitive neuroscience

Selected Publications

Lepping, R. J., Honea, R. A., Martin, L. Liao, K. Choi, I. Lee, P. Papa, V. Brooks, W. Shaddy, D. J., Carlson, S. E., Colombo, J. & Gustafson, K. M. (in press). LCPUFA supplementation during the first year of life affects brain function, structure, and metabolism at age nine years. Developmental Psychobiology.

Carlson, S. E., Colombo, J. & Cheatham, C. L. (in press). Long chain fatty acids in the developing brain. In D. F Anderson, R. A Polin, W. W Fox, & . (Eds.), Fetal and Neonatal Physiology(5thth ed.). New York: Elseview.

Colombo, J. (2018). Assessing neurocognitive development in studies of nutrition. In B. Koletzko, M. Lampl, & J. Colombo (Eds.), Recent Advances in Infant Growth and Nutrition. DOI://doi.org/10.1159/000486499

Colombo, J., Koletzko, B., & Lampl, M. (Eds.). (2018). Nestle Nutrition Institute Workshop (#89). Recent Advances in Infant Growth and Nutrition. 89 Basel, Switzerland: Karger. DOI://doi.org/10.1159/000486498Karger Publishing.

Gould, J. F., Colombo, J. Collins, C. T., Makrides, M. Hewawasam, E. & Smithers, L. G. (2018). Assessing whether early attention of very preterm infants can be improved by an omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid intervention: a follow-up of a randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open.

Hidaka, B. H., Thodosoff, J. M., Kerling, E. H., Hull, H. R., Colombo, J. & Carlson, S. E. (2018). Intrauterine DHA exposure and child body composition at 5 y: exploratory analysis of a randomized controlled trial of prenatal DHA supplementation . American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 107(1), 35-42. DOI:10.1093/ajcn/nqx007

Moukarzel, S. Kerling, E. Carlson, S. E., Christifano, D. N., Wick, J. A., & Colombo, J. (2018). Maternal vitamin D status and infant infection. Nutrients, 10(2), 111. DOI:10.3390/nu10020111MDPI Open Access Publishing.

Colombo, J. Jill Shaddy, D. Kerling, E. H., Gustafson, K. M., & Carlson, S. E. (2017). Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA) balance in developmental outcomes. Prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and essential fatty acids, 121, 52-56. DOI:10.1016/j.plefa.2017.05.005

Hidaka, B. H., Kerling, E. H., Thodosoff, J. M., Colombo, J. Sullivan, D. K., & Carlson, S. E. (2016). Dietary Patterns of Early Childhood and Maternal Socioeconomic Status in a Unique Prospective Sample from a Randomized Controlled Trial of Prenatal DHA Supplementation. BMC Pediatrics, 16, 191. DOI:10.1186/s12887-016-0729-0

Carlson, S. E., & Colombo, J. (2016). Docosahexaenoic acid and arachidonic acid nutrition in early development. Advances in Pediatrics, 63, 453-471. DOI:10.1016/j.yapd.2016.04.011

Shireman, T. I., Kerling, E. H., Gajewski, B. J., Colombo, J. & Carlson, S. E. (2016). Docosahexaenoic acid supplementation (DHA) and the return on investment for pregnancy outcomes. Prostaglandins, Leukotreines, and Essential Fatty Acids, 111, 8-10. DOI://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.plefa.2016.05.008

Liao, K. McCandliss, B. Carlson, S. E., Colombo, J. Shaddy, D. J., Kerling, E. Lepping, R. Cheatham, C. L., & Gustafson, K. M. (2016). Event related potential differences in children supplemented with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids during infancy. Developmental Science. DOI:10.1111/desc.12455

Yelland, L. N., Gajewski, B. J., Colombo, J. Gibson, R. A., Makrides, M. & Carlson, S. E. (2016). Predicting the effect of maternal DHA supplementation to reduce early preterm birth in Australia and the United States using results of within-country randomized controlled trials. Prostaglandins, Leukotreines, and Essential Fatty Acids, 112, 44-49. DOI://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.plefa.2016.08.007

Colombo, J. Gustafson, K. M., Gajewski, B. J., Shaddy, D. J., Kerling, E. H., Thodosoff, J. Brez, C. C., Doty, T. D., & Carlson, S. E. (2016). Prenatal DHA supplementation and infant attention. Pediatric Research, 80, 656-662. DOI:10.1038/pr.2016.134

Gajewski, B. J., Reese, C. S., Colombo, J. & Carlson, S. E. (2016). Commensurate priors on a finite mixture model for incorporating repository data in clinical trials. Statistics in Biopharmaceutical Research, epub ahead of print. DOI:10.1080/19466315.2015.1133453

Salley, B. & Colombo, J. (2015). Conceptualizing social attention in developmental research. Social Development, 25(4), 687-703. DOI: 10.1111/sode.12174

Foiles, A. Kerling, E. Wick, J. Scalabrin, D. Colombo, J. & Carlson, S. E. (2015). Formula with long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids reduces incidence of allergy in infancy and early childhood. Pediatric Allergy and Immunology. DOI:10.1111/pai.12515

Colombo, J. & Salley, B. J. (2015). The development of attention in infancy: A biopsychosocial perspective. (pp. 71-96). New York: Guilford Press.

Scholtz, S. A., Kerling, E. H., Shaddy, D. J., Thodosoff, J. M., Colombo, J. & Carlson, S. E. (2015). Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation in pregnancy differentially modulates arachidonic acid and DHA status across FADS genotypes in pregnancy. Prostaglandins, Leukotreines, and Essential Fatty Acids, 94, 29-33. DOI: 10.1016/j.plefa.2014.10.008

Gould, J. Makrides, M. Colombo, J. & Smithers, L. G. (2014). A randomized controlled trial of maternal omega-3 LCPUFA supplementation during pregnancy and early childhood development of attention, working memory and inhibitory control. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 99, 851-859. DOI:10.3945/ajcn.113.069203

Kapa, L. L., & Colombo, J. (2014). Executive function predicts artificial language learning. Journal of Memory and Language, 76, 237-252. DOI:10.1016/j.jml.2014.07.004

Ozias, M. K., Scholtz, S. A., Kerling, E. H., Christifano, D. N., Colombo, J. & Carlson, S. E. (2014). Typical prenatal vitamin D supplement intake does not prevent decrease of plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D at birth. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 10(Oct), 1-6. DOI:10.1080/07315724.2013.879843

Colombo, J. Zavaleta, N. Kannass, K. N., Lazarte, F. Albornoz, C. Kapa, L. & Caulfield, L. E. (2014). Zinc supplementation maintains neurodevelopmental changes during infancy: a randomized controlled trial in Peruvian infants 6-18 months of age. Journal of Nutrition, 144, 1298-1305. DOI: jn.113.189365

Gould, J. F., Makrides, M. Colombo, J. & Smithers, L. G. (2014). Randomized controlled trial of maternal omega-3 long-chain PUFA supplementation during pregnancy and early childhood development of attention, working memory, and inhibitory control. The American journal of clinical nutrition. DOI:10.3945/ajcn.113.069203

Scholtz, S. A., Colombo, J. & Carlson, S. E. (2013). Overview of dietary long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids during the perinatal period. . In M. Makrides, J. B Ochoa, & H. Szajewska (Eds.), The importance of immunonutrition (pp. 145-154). Basel, Switzerland: S Karger. DOI: 10.1159/000351397

Carlson, S. E., Colombo, J. Gajewski, B. Gustafson, K. M., Mundy, D. Yeast, J. Georgieff, M. Markley, L. Kerling, E. H., & Shaddy, D. J. (2013). Docosahexaenoic acid supplementation and pregnancy outcomes. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 97(4), 808-815. DOI:10.3945/ajcn.112.050021

Gustafson, K. M., Carlson, S. E., Colombo, J. Yeh, H. Shaddy, D. J., Li, S. & Kerling, E. H. (2013). Effects of docosahexaenoic acid supplementation during pregnancy on fetal heart rate and variability: A randomized clinical trial. Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes, and Essential Fatty Acids, 88(5), 331-338.

Colombo, J. Carlson, S. E., Cheatham, C. L., Shaddy, D. J., Kerling, E. Thodosoff, J. Gustafson, K. M., & Brez, C. (2013). Long-term effects of LCPUFA supplementation on childhood cognitive outcomes. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 98(2), 403-412. DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.112.040766

Anderson, C. J., Colombo, J. & Unruh, K. E. (2013). Pupil and salivary indicators in autism spectrum disorder. Developmental Psychobiology, 55(5), 465-482. DOI:10.1002/dev.21051

Salley, B. J., Panneton, R. & Colombo, J. (2013). Separable predictors of language outcome. Infancy, 18(4), 462-489. DOI:10.1111/j.1532-7078.2012.00138.x

Caulfield, L. E., Zavaleta, N. Chen, P. Colombo, J. & Kannass, K. (2013). Mineral status of non-anemic Peruvian infants taking an iron and copper syrup with or without zinc from 6 to 18 months of age: a randomized controlled trial. Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.), 29(11-12), 1336-41. DOI:10.1016/j.nut.2013.05.023

Kapa, L. L., & Colombo, J. (2013). Attentional control in early and later bilingual children. Cognitive Development, 28(3), 233-246. DOI: dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cogdev.2013.01.011

Bornstein, M. H., & Colombo, J. (2012). Infant cognitive functioning and mental development. (pp. 118-147). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Colombo, J. Brez, C. C., & Curtindale, L. C. (2012). Infant perception and cognition. In R. M. Lerner, M. A. Easterbrooks, J. Mistry, & I. B. Weiner (Eds.), Handbook of psychology, Volume 6: Developmental Psychology (pp. 61-89). New York: John Wiley and Sons.

Brez, C. C., Colombo, J. & Cohen, L. (2012). Infants' integration of featural and numerical information. Infant Behavior and Development, 35, 705-710. DOI:10.1016/j.infbeh.2012.07.003

Colombo, J. & Carlson, S. E. (2012). Is the measure the message? The BSID and nutritional interventions. Pediatrics, 129, 1166-1167. DOI:10.1542/peds.2012-0934

Roberts, J. E., Hatton, D. D., Bailey, D. Long, A. J., Anello, V. & Colombo, J. (2012). Visual attention and autistic behavior in infants with fragile X syndrome. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 42, 937-946. DOI:10.1007/s10803-011- 1316-8

Brez, C. C., & Colombo, J. (2012). Your eyes say ΓÇ£noΓÇ¥ but your heart says ΓÇ£yesΓÇ¥: Behavioral and psychophysiological indices in infant quantitative processing. Infancy, 17, 445-454. DOI:10.1111/j.1532-7078.2011.0094.x

Cheatham, C. L., Colombo, J. & Carlson, S. E. (2011). Long chain fatty acids in the developing retina and brain. In D. F. Anderson, R. A. Polin, & W. W. Fox (Eds.), Fetal and neonatal physiology(4th ed.) (Vol. 1, pp. 497-508). New York: Elsevier.

Colombo, J. Kapa, L. & Curtindale, L. (2011). Varieties of attention in infancy. In L. M. Oakes, C. H. Cashon, M. Casasola, & D. H. Rakison (Eds.), Infant perception and cognition: Recent advances, emerging theories, and future directions (pp. 3-26). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Colombo, J. Carlson, S. E., Cheatham, C. L., Fitzgerald-Gustafson, K. M., Kepler, A. & Doty, T. (2011). LCPUFA supplementation during infancy lowers heart rate and changes the distribution of attention. Pediatric Research, 70, 1-5. DOI:10.1203/PDR.0b013e31822a59f5

Geldhof, G. J., Little, T. D., & Colombo, J. (2010). Self-regulation across the lifespan. In R. Lerner, M. Lamb, & A. Freund (Eds.), Handbook of Lifespan Development(1st ed.) (Vol. 2, pp. 116-157). New York, NY: John Wiley. DOI:10.1002/9780470880166.hlsd002005

Kannass, K. N., Colombo, J. & Wyss, N. (2010). Now, pay attention! The effects of instruction on childrenΓÇÖs attention. Journal of Cognition and Development, 11(4), 509-532.

Colombo, J. Shaddy, D. J., Anderson, C. J., Blaga, O. M., Gibson, L. J., & Kannass, K. N. (2010). What habituates in infant visual habituation? A psychophysiological analysis. Infancy, 15(2), 107-124. DOI:10.1111/j.1532-7078.2009.00012.x

Colombo, J. Shaddy, D. J., Blaga, O. M., Anderson, C. J., Kannass, K. N., & Richman, W. A. (2009). Attentional predictors of vocabulary from infancy. In J. Colombo, P. McCardle, & L. Freund (Eds.), Infant pathways to language: Methods, models, and research directions (pp. 143-168). New York, NY: Psychology Press/Taylor and Francis.

Colombo, J. Shaddy, D. J., Blaga, O. M., Anderson, C. J., & Kannass, K. N. (2009). High cognitive ability in infancy and early childhood. In F. D. Horowitz, R. F. Subotnik, & D. J. Matthews (Eds.), The development of giftedness and talent across the life span (pp. 23-42). Washington, DC: American Psychological Society Press.

McCardle, P. Colombo, J. & Freund, L. (2009). Measuring language in infancy. (pp. 1-12). New York, NY: Psychology Press/Taylor and Francis.

Colombo, J., McCardle, P., & Freund, L. (Eds.). (2009). Infant pathways to language: Methods, models, and research directions (J. Colombo, P. McCardle, & L. Freund, Eds.). New York, NY: Psychology Press/Taylor and Francis.

Maikranz, J. M., Colombo, J. Richman, W. A., & Frick, J. E. (2001). Autonomic indicators of sensitization and look duration in infancy. Infant Behavior and Development, 23, 137-151.

Colombo, J. Richman, W. A., Shaddy, D. J., Greenhoot, A. F., & Maikranz, J. (2001). HR- Defined phases of attention, look duration, and infant performance in the paired- comparison paradigm. Child Development, 72, 1605-1616.

Colombo, J. (2001). Recent advances in the assessment of infant cognition: Implications for LC-PUFA supplementation studies. Lipids, 36, 919-926.

Colombo, J. (2001). The development of visual attention in infancy. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 337-367.

Colombo, J. Shaddy, D. J., & Richman, W. A. (2000). Cognition, development, and exceptional talent in infancy. In R. Friedman & B. Shore (Eds.), Talents unfolding: Cognition and development (pp. 123-148). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Saxon, T. F., Colombo, J. Robinson, E. L., & Frick, J. E. (2000). Dyadic interaction profiles in infancy and preschool intelligence. Journal of School Psychology, 38, 9-25.

Frick, J. E., Colombo, J. & Allen, J. R. (2000). The temporal sequence of global-local processing in 3-month-olds. Infancy, 1, 375-386.

Colombo, J. & Frick, J. E. (1999). Recent advances and issues in the study of preverbal intelligence. In M. Anderson (Ed.), The development of intelligence (pp. 46-71). East Sussex: Psychology Press.

Frick, J. E., Colombo, J. & Saxon, T. F. (1999). Individual and developmental differences in disengagement of fixation in early infancy. Child Development, 70, 537-548.

Colombo, J. & Janowsky, J. S. (1998). A cognitive neuroscience approach to individual differences in infant cognition. In J. E. Richards (Ed.), The cognitive neuroscience of attention: A developmental perspective (pp. 363-392). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Stoecker, J. J., Colombo, J. Frick, J. E., & Ryther, J. S. (1998). Long- and short-looking infants' recognition of symmetrical and asymmetrical visual forms. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 71, 63-78.

Colombo, J. (1997). Individual differences in infant cognition: Methods, measures and models. In J. Dobbing (Ed.), Developing brain and behavior: The role of lipids in infant formulas (pp. 339-385). London: Academic Press.

Mitchell, D. W., & Colombo, J. (1997). Infant cognition and general intelligence. In W. Tomic & J. Kingma (Eds.), Advances in cognition and educational practice: Reflections on the concept of intelligence (pp. 101-119). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.

Saxon, T. F., Frick, J. E., & Colombo, J. (1997). Individual differences in infant visual fixation and maternal interactional styles. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly of Behavioral Development, 43, 48-66.

Colombo, J. Frick, J. E., & Gorman, S. A. (1997). Sensitization during visual habituation sequences: Procedural effects and individual differences. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 67, 223-235.

Colombo, J. Frick, J. E., Ryther, J. S., & Gifford, J. J. (1996). Individual differences in infant visual attention: Four-month-olds' recognition of forms connoted by complementary contour. Infant Behavior and Development, 19, 113-119.

Frick, J. E., & Colombo, J. (1996). Individual differences in infant visual attention: Recognition of degraded visual forms by 4-month-olds. Child Development, 67, 188-204.

Colombo, J. Ryther, J. S., Frick, J. E., & Gifford, J. J. (1995). A visual "pop-out" effect in infants: Evidence for preattentive search in 3- and 4-month-olds. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 2, 266-268.

Colombo, J. (1995). Cost, utility, and the judgments of institutional review boards . Psychological Science, 6, 318-319.

Colombo, J. Freeseman, L. J., Coldren, J. T., & Frick, J. E. (1995). Individual differences in infant visual fixation: Dominance of global and local stimulus properties. Cognitive Development, 10, 271-285.

Colombo, J. Frick, J. E., Ryther, J. S., Coldren, J. T., & Mitchell, D. W. (1995). Infants' detection of analogs of "motherese" in noise. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly of Behavioral Development, 41, 104-113.

Colombo, J. (1995). On the neural mechanisms underlying developmental and individual differences in infant fixation duration: Two hypotheses. Developmental Review, 15, 97-135.

Coldren, J. T., & Colombo, J. (1994). The nature and processes of preverbal learning: Implications from nine-month-old infants' discrimination problem solving. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development59(4), Whole No. 249.

Colombo, J. (1993). Infant cognition: Predicting later intellectual functioning, Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Freeseman, L. J., Colombo, J. & Coldren, J. T. (1993). Individual differences in infant visual attention: Discrimination and generalization of global and local stimulus properties. Child Development, 64, 1191-1203.

Colombo, J. Mitchell, D. W., Coldren, J. T., & Freeseman, L. J. (1991). Individual differences in infant attention: Are short lookers faster processors or feature processors? Child Development, 62, 1247-1257.

Colombo, J. & Mitchell, D. W. (1990). Individual and developmental differences in infant visual attention: Fixation time and information processing. In J. Colombo & J. W. Fagen (Eds.), Individual differences in infancy: Reliability, stability, and prediction (pp. 193-227). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Colombo, J. & Fagen, J. W. (Eds.). (1990). Individual differences in infancy: Reliability, stability, and prediction (J. Colombo & J. W. Fagen, Eds.). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum and Associates.

Horowitz, F. D. & Colombo, J. (Eds.). (1990). Infancy research: A summative look and directions for the future (F. D. Horowitz & J. Colombo, Eds.). Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press.

Colombo, J. Mitchell, D. W., Coldren, J. T., & Atwater, J. D. (1990). Discrimination learning during the first year of life: Stimulus and positional cues. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 16, 98-109.

Colombo, J. McCollam, K. Coldren, J. T., Mitchell, D. W., & Rash, S. J. (1990). Form categorization in 10-month-old infants. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 49, 173-188.

Horowitz, F. D., & Colombo, J. (1990). Future agendas and directions for infancy research. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly of Behavioral Development, 36, 173-178.

Bundy, R. S., Colombo, J. & Warnick-Yarmel, P. (1989). Association learning and pitch perception. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 27, 234-236.

Zheng, S. -., & Colombo, J. (1989). Gender differences, family configuration, and preschool social participation. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 150, 45-50.

Colombo, J. Mitchell, D. W., Dodd, J. D., Coldren, J. T., & Horowitz, F. D. (1989). Longitudinal correlates of infant attention in the paired comparison paradigm. Intelligence, 13, 33-42.

Colombo, J. Moss, M. M., & Horowitz, F. D. (1989). Neonatal state profiles: Reliability and short-term prediction of neurobehavioral status. Child Development, 60, 1102-1110.

Colombo, J. & Horowitz, F. D. (1988). Behavioral state as a lead variable in neonatal research. In S. Chess, A. Thomas, & M. Hertzig (Eds.), Annual progress in child psychiatry and child development (pp. 128-141). New York: Basic Books.

Colombo, J. Mitchell, D. W., & Horowitz, F. D. (1988). Infant visual behavior in the paired-comparison paradigm: Test-retest and attention-performance relations. Child Development, 59, 1198-1210.

Colombo, J. & Mitchell, D. W. (1988). Infant visual habituation: In defense of an information-processing analysis. European Bulletin of Cognitive Psychology/Cahiers de Psychologie Cognitive, 8, 455-461.

Moss, M. M., Colombo, J. Mitchell, D. W., & Horowitz, F. D. (1988). Neonatal behavioral organization and 3-month visual discrimination. Child Development, 59, 1211-1220.

Zheng, S. -., Colombo, J. & Horowitz, F. D. (1988). Psychological development of the only child: Implications for the Chinese single-child policy. Journal of Practical Pediatrics, 5, 271-272.

Colombo, J. O'Brien, M. Mitchell, D. W., Roberts, K. P., & Horowitz, F. D. (1987). A lower boundary for visual categorization in preverbal infants. Journal of Child Language, 14, 383-385.

Colombo, J. & Horowitz, F. D. (1987). Behavioral state as a lead variable in neonatal research. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly of Behavioral Development, 33, 423-438.

Colombo, J. Mitchell, D. W., O'Brien, M. & Horowitz, F. D. (1987). Stability of infant visual habituation during the first year. Child Development, 58, 474-489.

Colombo, J. Mitchell, D. W., O'Brien, M. & Horowitz, F. D. (1987). Stimulus and motoric influences on visual habituation at three months. Infant Behavior and Development, 10, 173-181.

Colombo, J. (1986). Recent studies in early auditory development . In G. J. Whitehurst (Ed.), Annals of Child Development (Vol. 3, pp. 53-98). Greenwich, Connecticut: JAI Press.

Colombo, J. & Horowitz, F. D. (1986). Infants' attentional responses to frequency modulated sweeps. Child Development, 57, 287-291.

Colombo, J. O'Brien, M. Mitchell, D. W., & Horowitz, F. D. (1986). Stimulus salience and relational processing. Infant Behavior and Development, 9, 377-380.

Colombo, J. & Horowitz, F. D. (1985). A parametric study of the infant control procedure. Infant Behavior and Development, 8, 117-121.

Colombo, J. (1985). Infant attention to spectral complexity. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 146, 519-522.

Colombo, J. Laurie, C. A., Martelli, T. A., & Hartig, B. R. (1984). Stimulus context and infant orientation discrimination. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 37, 576-586.

Colombo, J. & Bundy, R. S. (1983). Infant response to auditory familiarity and novelty . Infant Behavior and Development, 6, 305-311.

Bundy, R. S., Colombo, J. & Singer, J. T. (1982). Pitch perception in infancy. Developmental Psychology, 18, 10-14.

Colombo, J. (1982). The critical period concept: Research, methodology, and conceptual issues. Psychological Bulletin, 92, 260-275.

Colombo, J. & Bundy, R. S. (1981). A method for the measurement of infant auditory selectivity. Infant Behavior and Development, 4, 229-231.

Meacham, J. A., & Colombo, J. (1979). External cues facilitate prospective remembering in 5- and 7-year-olds. Journal of Educational Research, 3, 299-301.

Selected Presentations

Colombo, J. . Cognitive assessment in studies of nutrition: A brief primer. Invited colloquium for BioFortis, LLC (Clinical Research Organization). Addison, IL

Colombo, J., Shaddy, D., Carlson, S., Gustafson, K., Gajewski, B., Kerling, E. & Thodosoff, J. . Glances, interruptions, and latencies to look in infant habituation. Society for Research in Child Development. Philadelphia, PA

Salley, B. & Colombo, J. . Infants’ attention to social and nonsocial events and emerging communication. Society for Research in Child Development. Philadelphia, PA

. LCPUFA supplementation and developmental outcomes. Center for Mind and Brain Symposium Series: Nutrition and Cognitive Development.. University of California, Davis, CA USA

Colombo, J. . Long-term consequences of postnatal LCPUFA supplementation. The 3rd Annual Latin American Meeting of the Mead Johnson Pediatric Nutrition Institute. . Riviera Maya, Mexico.

Colombo, J. . Long-term effects of postnatal LCPUFA supplementation. Inaugural Scientific Symposium for Mead Johnson Pediatric Nutrition Institute (MJPNI). Singapore

Kerling, E., Thodosoff, J., Hidaka, B., Hull, H., Colombo, J. & Carlson, S. . Maternal docosahexaenoic acid supplementation and body composition at age 5 years. Midwest Pediatric Society. Kansas City, MO, USA

Colombo, J. . Measuring people: An introduction to human behavioral assessment. Workshop held for Research and Marketing Divisions of Pepperidge Farm (Campbell's Soup). Norwalk, CT

Colombo, J. . Modern Approaches to Evaluating Impact of Nutrition on Cognitive Development. . Mead Johnson Pediatric Nutrition Institute: International Pediatric Nutrition . Shanghai, China.

. Neurobehavioral Assessment in Toddlers. Mead Johnson Nutrition Expert Panel. Chicago, IL, USA

. Nutritional interventions and developmental outcomes. Gatlinburg Conference on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. San Diego, CA, USA

Grants & Other Funded Activity

Colombo, John, (Principal), Smith, Peter, (Co-Principal), Kansas Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, National Institutes of Health, $6,000,000, Submitted 02/17/2016 (09/01/2016 - 08/31/2021) . Federal. Status: Funded.

Gustafson, Kathleen, (Principal), Colombo, John, (Co-Investigator), Gajewski, Byron, (Co-Investigator), Carlson, Susan, (Co-Investigator), Prenatal DHA & Neurofunctional Development, R01 HD086001, National Institutes of Health, $3,774,865, (03/01/2016 - 02/27/2021) . Federal. Status: Funded.

Mayo, Matthew, (Principal), Colombo, John, (Co-Investigator), Wick, Jo Adrianne, (Co-Investigator), Gajewski, Bryon, (Co-Investigator), Koestler, Devin, (Co-Investigator), Carlson, Susan, (Co-Investigator), Donnelly, Joseph, (Co-Investigator), Spaulding, Ryan , (Co-Investigator), Blackwell, Karen, (Collaborator), Smilor, Kevin, (Collaborator), Data Coordinating and Organizing Center for the IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network., National Institutes of Health, $42,553,677, Submitted 04/01/2016 (09/01/2016 - 12/31/2020) . Federal. Status: Proposal Submitted.

Colombo, John, (Principal), The Cork Nutrition and Microbiome Maternal-Infant Cohort Study, Mead Johnson Nutrition, $304,259, (01/01/2015 - 12/31/2020) . For Profit (company/corporation). Status: Funded.

Salley, Brenda, (Principal), John, Colombo, (Co-Principal), Visual attention, joint attention, and emergent language in infancy, K99HD07588, National Institutes of Health (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development), $392,850, Submitted 01/01/2013 (07/01/2013 - 07/31/2018) . DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Emergent lines of research and theory suggest the importance of considering the contributions of social and non-social attentional cues for language acquisition and performance. However, in the current literature, these contributions have been examined separately. The overall aim of the current application is to systematically examine whether infants' early visual attention (to social and non-social targets) predicts their joint attention, and whether the co-development of both together predicts the emergence of language. Two specific aims (which correspond to the K99 and R00 phases) are intended to address current gaps in our knowledge. The first aim (K99) will test the hypothesis that social attention differentiates from general attentional processes during the first year of life. To date,it is unknown whether attention regulation skills differ in the context of social and non-social input across development and how these skills map on to joint attention behaviors. Joint attention may reflect development of general aspects of attention, or alternatively, it may reflect socially specific attention (i.e., attention regulation in the context of other social agents). The second am (ROO) will test the hypothesis that across the first two postnatal years, visual attention and join attention will make independent and unique contributions to language outcomes. Although basic measures of visual attention and measures of joint attention have been independently associated with language outcomes, their relative contributions across development have not been systematically examined. Our recent work suggests visual attention and joint attention account for unique variance in language variability in the second year of life. Federal. Status: Funded.

Colombo, John, (Principal), Carlson, Susan, (Principal), Gustafson, Kathleen, (Co-Principal), Gajewski, Byron, (Co-Principal), DHA supplementation and pregnancy outcome, Eunice Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, $2,858,697, Submitted 10/01/2011 (07/01/2012 - 07/31/2017) . DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application seeks to renew project R01 HD047315, which supported the conduct of a randomized clinical trial of a high level of supplementation of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) during the prenatal period (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT00266825). We achieved the enrollment and follow-up goals of the original RCT and, most importantly for the current proposal, we have retained the planned large cohort of children born to women enrolled in the parent trial. Infants enrolled and followed to 18 months of age in this trial are now entering a particularly important period of cognitive and intellectual development, and the successful retention of the current sample allows for an unprecedented opportunity to determine if prenatal supplementation of DHA affects preschool and school-age outcomes that predict successful school performance and adaptive behaviors. The different skills that emerge at these ages build on early components of cognition, which have been positively associated with higher DHA status in both observational studies and clinical trials. We propose to test these infants on a semi-annual basis from 24 through 72 months of age employing outcomes that assess four domains of development that are critical to health, adjustment, and well-being through adulthood: (a) higher-order cognition (memory, attention, and executive function), (b) language processing and preliteracy skills, (c) adaptive regulation (self-regulation skills related to behavioral problems, school performance, and child psychopathology), and (d) intelligence. The proposed assessments will allow us to determine whether prenatal nutritional supplementation with DHA affects child health and development. The findings could contribute to evidence-based policy on prenatal nutrition. In addition, the evidence from this renewal would address hypotheses concerning fetal programming and human behavior that are currently at the forefront within the field of health, development and nutrition. Federal. Status: Funded.

Colombo, John, (Principal), Smith, Peter, (Co-Principal), Kansas Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, P30HD02528-45, National Institutes of Health (Eunice Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development), $8,109,647, Submitted 03/01/2012 (07/01/2012 - 07/31/2017) . DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Core Support for five years is requested for the competitive renewal of the Kansas Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (KIDDRC). The KIDDRC, now in its 44th year, has played a major international role in generating highly effective biobehavioral interventions aimed at the causes, prevention, and treatment of intellectual and developmental disabilities and related secondary conditions, and in delineating basic knowledge of the underlying biology of typical and atypical development. Since its inception, the Center has supported a balanced portfolio of behavioral, biological, and biobehavioral research. Building on its rich history, a unique contribution of the Center in the future will be the development of biologically-informed interventions and treatments. The mission of the KIDDRC is to support high quality basic and applied research relevant to the causes and prevention of intellectual and developmental disabilities and the prevention and remediation of associated secondary conditions. To achieve this mission, the KIDDRC is designed to accomplish three objectives. First, to develop and support new interdisciplinary basic and applied research initiatives directly relevant to the Center's mission, bringing together scientists across the Kansas Center as well as promoting collaborative ventures with researchers at other institutions. Second, to provide cost-effective, scientifically generative, state of the art core services, resources, and facilities that directly enhance the quality and impact of science produced by center investigators and their collaborators. Third, to provide highly efficient, cost-effective systems for planning, developing, managing, coordinating, and disseminating research activities associated with the center. The KIDDRC's research program is organized around four integrated thematic areas that each reflects a topic of central importance to IDD, comports with our scientific directions, and draws upon our research strengths. These themes are: 1) language, communication, and cognition of IDD; 2) risk, prevention, and intervention in IDD; 3) neurobiology of IDD; 4) cellular and molecular biology of early development. To coordinate and support the research activities of the 84 investigators and co-investigators and 88 research projects associated with these themes, four core units are proposed: a) Communication and Administration; b) Biobehavioral Measurement; c) Research Design and Analysis; d) Integrative Imaging. Federal. Status: Funded.

Kamps, Debra, (Principal), Reese, R. Matt, (Principal), Colombo, John, (Principal), The Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training: Phase II Expansion, Strategic Initiative Grants: Level I, $750,000, (01/01/2012 - 12/31/2016) . Research Investment Council grant to support a start-up package for a senior/mid-career hire in the area of neurocognitive mechanisms in autism. University (KU or KUMC). Status: Funded.

Carlson, Susan, (Principal), Colombo, John, (Principal), Nutritive effects of prebiotics on early postnatal behavioral measures of tolerance, Mead Johnson Nutrition, $243,743, (01/15/2014 - 08/31/2016) . For Profit (company/corporation). Status: Funded.

Rice, Mabel L., (Principal), Barlow, Steven, (Co-Principal), Colombo, John, (Co-Investigator), Kemper, Susan, (Co-Investigator), University of Kansas Center for Behavioral Neuroscience in Communicative Disorders, DC005803, National Institute of Communicative Disorders and Stroke, $2,158,851, (01/01/2008 - 12/31/2013) . Federal. Status: Funded.

Colombo, John, (Principal), Effect of Low Glycemic-Index Beverages on Toddler Cognition, Mead Johnson Nutrition, $193,575, (01/01/2011 - 12/31/2012) . For Profit (company/corporation). Status: Funded.

Saunders, Kathryn, (Principal), Colombo, John, (Co-Principal), Postdoctoral training in translational research on intellectual and developmental disabilities, T32HD007525, National Institutes of Health: Eunice Shriver National Child Health and Human Development, $1,059,652, (01/01/2007 - 12/31/2012) . Federal. Status: Funded.

Rice, Mabel L., (Principal), Kemper, Susan, Catts, Hugh, Colombo, John, Warren, Steven, Training researchers in language impairments, T32DC000052, National Institute of Communicative Disorders and Stroke, $1,137,645, (01/01/2007 - 12/31/2012) . Federal. Status: Funded.

Colombo, John, (Principal), Pupil size and circadian salivary variations in Autism Spectrum Disorder, R03 MH084061-01, National Institute of Mental Health, $139,636, (01/01/2009 - 12/31/2011) . Federal. Status: Funded.

Gustafson, Kathleen, (Principal), Colombo, John, (Co-Principal), Carlson, Susan, (Co-Principal), The effects of DHA on fetal heart rate and development, R21 HD059019, National Institutes of Health: Eunice Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, $275,000, (01/01/2009 - 12/31/2011) . Federal. Status: Funded.

Smith, Peter, (Principal), Colombo, John, (Co-Principal), Kansas Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, P30HD02528, National Institutes of Health (Eunice Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development), $3,840,552, (01/01/2008 - 12/31/2011) . Federal. Status: Funded.

Carlson, Susan, (Principal), Colombo, John, (Co-Principal), DHA supplementation and pregnancy outcome, HD047315, National Institutes of Health (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development), $917,821, (01/01/2006 - 12/31/2011) . Federal. Status: Funded.

Colombo, John, Neural synchrony and the induction of attention in human infants, University of Kansas General Research Fund Grant, $13,400, (01/01/2009 - 12/31/2010) . University (KU or KUMC). Status: Funded.

Carlson, Susan, (Principal), Colombo, John, (Principal), Executive Functions of the Frontal Lobes and DHA: Proposed Follow-Up of Current Kansas City Mead Johnson Nutritionals Study Participants, Mead Johnson Nutritionals, $279,814, (01/01/2008 - 12/31/2009) . For Profit (company/corporation). Status: Funded.

Colombo, John, Anderson, Christa J., Savage, Cary, Pupillary Responses and Neural Activation to Face and Non-Face Pictures in Children with ASD, University of Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training (Life Span Institute), $39,977, (01/01/2008 - 12/31/2009) . University (KU or KUMC). Status: Funded.

Caulfield, Laura, (Principal), Colombo, John, (Co-Principal), Zavaleta, Nelly, (Co-Principal), Zinc and biobehavioral development in early childhood, HD045430, National Institutes of Health (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development), $324,646, (01/01/2004 - 12/31/2009) . Federal. Status: Funded.

Colombo, John, (Principal), Clinical trials and maternal-infant outcomes workshop: Satellite to ISSFAL 2008, Mead Johnson Nutritionals, $6,500, - 12/31/2008) . For Profit (company/corporation). Status: Funded.

Colombo, John, Alpha-amylase levels and psychophysiological arousal in autism, University of Kansas General Research Fund Grant, $10,327, (01/01/2007 - 12/31/2008) . University (KU or KUMC). Status: Funded.

Colombo, John, Supplemental Scholarship, The Graduate School, University of Kansas. Submitted for and awarded to the Department of Psychology, $12,000, (01/01/2006 - 12/31/2008) . University (KU or KUMC). Status: Funded.

Carlson, Susan E., (Principal), Colombo, John, (Co-Principal), The effects of infant formula supplemented with long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids on visual and cognitive development in term infants, MJN 3370-4, Mead Johnson Nutritionals, Inc. (Research Division), $715,000, (01/01/2006 - 12/31/2007) . For Profit (company/corporation). Status: Funded.

Heppert, J., (Principal), Case, S., (Co-Principal), Colombo, J., (Co-Principal), Learning from dynamic visual displays, NSF 0521860, National Science Foundation Science of Learning Center Catalyst Grant, $199,941, (01/01/2005 - 12/31/2007) . Federal. Status: Funded.

Rice, Mabel L., (Principal), Barlow, Steven, (Co-Principal), Colombo, John, (Co-Principal), Kemper, Susan, University of Kansas Center for Behavioral Neuroscience in Communicative Disorders, DC005803, National Institute of Communicative Disorders and Stroke, $1,710,000, (01/01/2002 - 12/31/2007) . Federal. Status: Funded.

Colombo, John, (Principal), Rice, Mabel, (Co-Principal), McCardle, Peg, (Co-Principal), Conference on the assessment of cognition and language in infancy and early childhood, Supported by the University of Kansas Merrill Advanced Study Center, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the National Science Foundation, $40,000, (01/01/2004 - 12/31/2005) . Federal. Status: Funded.

Colombo, John, (Principal), Perception and processing of time in infancy, National Science Foundation Grant (NSF 0318072), $190,214, (01/01/2003 - 12/31/2005) . Federal. Status: Funded.

Carlson, Susan E., (Principal), Colombo, John, (Co-Principal), The Effects Of Infant Formula Supplemented With Long Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids On Visual And Cognitive Development In Term Infants, MJN 3370-4, Mead Johnson Nutritionals, Inc. (Research Division), $600,000, (01/01/2003 - 12/31/2005) . For Profit (company/corporation). Status: Funded.

Carlson, Susan, (Co-Principal), Colombo, John, (Co-Principal), The effect of consuming docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) -enriched eggs during the last trimester of pregnancy on infant attention development, OMT-2000-02, OmegaTech, Inc/Martek Biosciences, $302,919, (01/01/2001 - 12/31/2003) . Federal. Status: Funded.

Carlson, Susan, (Principal), Colombo, John, (Co-Principal), Birth DHA status: Sources and effects on attention, University of Kansas Medical Center Research Institute Clinical Pilot Research Project, $25,000, (01/01/2000 - 12/31/2003) . University (KU or KUMC). Status: Funded.

Colombo, John, (Principal), Infant visual attention and preschool cognitive outcome, HD35903, National Institutes of Health (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development), $741,876, (01/01/1998 - 12/31/2003) . Federal. Status: Funded.

Colombo, John, (Principal), Integrating Digital Video Clips into Child Development Courses, University of Kansas ΓÇ£Quest for the BestΓÇ¥ Competition, Instructional Development Services, $5,000, (01/01/1999 - 12/31/2000) . University (KU or KUMC). Status: Funded.

Colombo, John, (Principal), Individual differences in infant visual processing: A test of three hypotheses, University of Kansas General Research Fund Grant, $7,000, (01/01/1997 - 12/31/1998) . University (KU or KUMC). Status: Funded.

Colombo, John, Individual differences in infant visual processing, HD29960, National Institutes of Health (National Institute of Child Health and Development), $362,024, (01/01/1993 - 12/31/1997) . Federal. Status: Funded.

Colombo, John, (Principal), Infants' processing of degraded visual targets: Effects of locus and type of deletion, University of Kansas General Research Fund Grant, $6,900, (01/01/1992 - 12/31/1993) . University (KU or KUMC). Status: Funded.

Colombo, John, (Principal), A signal detection analysis of infant visual recognition memory, University of Kansas Biomedical Support Grant, $6,000, (01/01/1990 - 12/31/1991) . University (KU or KUMC). Status: Funded.

Colombo, John, (Co-Principal), Wright, John, (Co-Principal), Supplementary equipment grant, National Institute of Mental Health, $20,000, (01/01/1990 - 12/31/1991) . Federal. Status: Funded.

Colombo, John, (Principal), State organization in high-risk neonates, #12-89, March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation Grant, $37,000, (01/01/1989 - 12/31/1991) . Not-for-Profit (not Foundation). Status: Funded.

Colombo, John, (Principal), Individual differences in infant learning: Stability and reliability of infant response in the synchronous reinforcement paradigm, MH43246, National Institute of Mental Health, $37,500, (01/01/1989 - 12/31/1990) . Federal. Status: Funded.

Colombo, John, (Principal), Reversal and nonreversal shifts in infant learning, 88-4787, University of Kansas Biomedical Support Grant, $5,500, (01/01/1988 - 12/31/1989) . University (KU or KUMC). Status: Funded.

Colombo, John, Infant acquisition and retention of a visual-auditory contingency, 86-4480, University of Kansas Biomedical Support Grant, $5,800, (01/01/1987 - 12/31/1988) . University (KU or KUMC). Status: Funded.

Colombo, John, (Principal), Individual differences in infant visual habituation, MH41395, National Institute of Mental Health, $22,500, (01/01/1986 - 12/31/1987) . Federal. Status: Funded.

Colombo, John, Acquisition/performance relationships in infancy, 85-4309, University of Kansas Biomedical Support Grant, $6,000, (01/01/1985 - 12/31/1986) . University (KU or KUMC). Status: Funded.

Bundy, Robert S., (Principal), Colombo, John, (Co-Principal), Auditory preference in infants, MH14368, National Institute of Mental Health, $22,500, (01/01/1981 - 12/31/1982) . Federal. Status: Funded.