Learning how children learn about their world
The preschool years set the stage for a lifetime of learning.
Our research investigates the social, cognitive, and neurobiological factors that shape children’s changing understandings of the world during the preschool years
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Our research is all done with families who sign up to participate in our fun games that help us learn about the amazing changes that preschool-aged children go through during this special time of development. Click on the button below to find out how you can help, too!
Join Us!
The talented graduate and undergraduate students make the lab an exciting place to learn get involved in research on young children’s cognitive development. If you’re an undergrad looking to volunteer, click the button below. For inquires about graduate opportunities, email Dr. Sabbagh directly
Truth & Reconciliation
We study preschooler’s learning and cognitive development to better understand the factors that enable children to successfully negotiate the path to becoming valued, expert members of their communities.
In Canada, for more than 150 years, First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation children were taken away from their families and communities to attend schools often located far from their homes. At these Indian Residential Schools, they were forced to abandon their communities' cultural practices and conform to alien, European ideals. There were harsh consequences for doing otherwise. More than 150,000 children attended these schools, and many never returned to their communities.
At the Early Experience Lab, we are committed to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s efforts to promote reconciliation through education.
This CBC article provides advice for how to talk with young children about Residential Schools.
Visit National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation’s pages on residential school history and their memorial pages.
Learn more about the Calls to Action outlined in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s 2015 report.
Click on the image for educational resources developed for use in schools.