We research children’s understanding of spoken language. For example, we are interested in how preschoolers interpret pronouns in naturalistic settings, such as picture- and e-book interactions: How does a child learn to make the connection between a pronoun expression (e.g., ‘he’) and a character that has been previously mentioned in the story (e.g., ‘Squirrel’ vs. ‘Rabbit’)? In our studies, the primary method we use is eye-tracking. This involves a special camera that tracks children’s eye movements whilst they look towards characters and objects that are presented on a computer screen or a picture book. 

In the Little Magpies Lab, we are interested in how infants learn language between birth to 2 years. Early on, infants pick up speech from the language they hear around them - they start learning well before they begin to speak! In our studies, we typically present infants with different types of speech, images, and videos while recording their responses. You, as a parent, will be with your child the entire session and sometimes, we record parent-child interactions as well. We are looking forward to new families visiting our lab!

At the Heritage Language Lab, we focus on the heritage language, that is, the language immigrant children use at home, with their parents and siblings. 

We address questions, such as:
1. How do the two languages of heritage children influence each other?
2. Are some aspects of the heritage grammar more vulnerable than others?
3. What factors (environmental and sociolinguistic) determine children's success in maintaining their heritage language?
4. And, finally, what are the implications of this research for language instruction and language practices at home?

Welcome to the ABCD Lab! Our research examines how children develop the ability to regulate their behaviour, attention, cognition, and emotions.  Our research aims to address questions such as:

1. How do these abilities emerge and develop in the infant, toddler, and preschool years?
2. How do changes in behaviour relate to brain development?
3. What factors put children at risk for developing problems with self–regulation?

Hello! At the Centre for Research on Cognitive Development, or CROC Lab, for short, we conduct research on children’s language and cognitive development. Our projects explore how children think, learn, and grow. Every time you and your child participate in one of our studies, we learn more about the wonder of how children construct an understanding of the world around them. Our discoveries would not be possible without the participation of families like yours!

Qui sommes-nous?

Bonjour! Au Centre de Recherche sur le Développement Cognitif, aussi appelé CROC Lab, nous effectuons des recherches sur l'acquisition du langage et le développement cognitif chez les enfants. Nos projets explorent comment les enfants pensent, apprennent et grandissent. À chaque occasion que vous ou votre enfant participez à l'une de nos recherches, nous en apprenons davantage sur les fascinantes façons dont les enfants construisent une compréhension du monde dans lequel ils vivent. Nos découvertes ne seraient pas possible sans la participation des familles comme la vôtre!

Our research areas include understanding the links with health, establishing measurement methods, and identifying factors that influence the behaviours in home, school/childcare, and neighbourhood settings. 

At the Child Language & Literacy Lab, we want to know:

What helps children learn language and become proficient readers, spellers and writers?

How can we help children improve their language and literacy skills when they are behind?

The Educational Technology, Knowledge, Language, and Learning Analytics (EdTeKLA) Research Group creates technologies to support people’s learning and then uses those technologies to study how people learn.