Early Language & Experience Lab

The Early Language & Experience Lab is located in the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN.

To find out more about current projects, publication, & people, please explore the links at the left.

For information about participating in our studies, click here.

Undergraduates interested in directed research or volunteering in our lab, click here.

What We Study

  • The social and cognitive processes involved in acquiring knowledge from other people.
  • How do children balance the potential benefit of learning and the risk of being misinformed?
  • How do young children learn about the many pragmatic functions of their language?

ELEL News

  • Laboratory director Dr. Melissa Koenig and Dr. Valerie Tiberius (Philosophy) wrote an op-ed that was recently published by NBC News! Check out their piece, “Can children save us from the fake news epidemic?” which includes an overview of many relevant studies and a lesson on how parents might talk with kids.
  • Coming soon: The Early Language and Experience Lab is working on its first biannual newsletter! Visit our website in May for this peek into our projects, progress, and news!