Birgit Elsner is full professor of Developmental Psychology at the University of Potsdam, Germany. Her research focuses on the development of cognitive processes in early infancy. Main aspects are social cognition and the understanding and control of intentional action. To investigate relations between cognitive and brain development, she combines methods of behavioral observations and physiological parameters (e.g., heart rate, EEG). Part of her research is supported by the German Science Foundation (DFG), and she collaborates with colleagues from Canada, UK, and the Netherlands. Together with Prof. Barbara Höhle (Psycholinguistics: Language Acquisition) she is head of the BabyLab of the University of Potsdam.