Pamela Blewitt, Ph.D., Lab Director
Professor, Department of Psychology
Villanova University

Welcome to the Early Child Development Laboratory! We investigate how young children learn vocabulary and develop other language skills.  Our research addresses two questions:

First, what do young children bring to the task of word learning? Do they use strategies? How well can they interpret intended meanings?

Second, how does the social world, including parents, caregivers, and teachers, make learning more or less effective?  

We work with preschoolers in day care centers, nursery schools, and homes, testing their skills and observing their interactions with other children, teachers, and parents. 

In the lab, we plan our studies, make toys, books and other materials for our tasks. We also code and analyze data, and prepare presentations of our work. One of our goals is to make the findings of developmental science accessible to parents, caregivers, and helping professionals.