At the LILAC Lab, we explore how different groups of children learn language and how parent-child interactions can support language development. We work with students, faculty, caregivers, and clinicians within and beyond the UT Dallas community to understand language development.
Below are some research questions that we are exploring right now.
What kind of language input helps autistic children learn new words?
In this study, we are interested in how autistic children learn new words. We teach children new words in different types of language input and in different modalities. Then we use eye-tracking technology to analyze the children’s eye gaze to understand if one way of teaching a new word is better for their learning.
What kind of language input helps Spanish-English bilingual toddlers learn new words?
In this virtual study, we are interested in how bilingual Spanish-English children learn new words. As part of this study, we ask toddlers to watch a fun video that will teach them new words in different ways. After watching the video, toddlers are shown pairs of objects and asked to look at one of them. We code and analyze their eye gaze to understand how much they learned from the video they watched. Families also complete two days of home language samples. This helps us understand how often bilingual children hear different types of language input in their natural language environment.
How do Mandarin-English bilingual caregivers talk to their child?
In this study, we ask Mandarin-English caregivers to play with their child and read them a short picture book. Families also complete two days of home language samples. We are interested to see the kind of language children hear from their Mandarin-English bilingual caregivers.
How do parents teach their child the meaning of actions and objects?
Parents are a child’s first teacher and are a key source of information in their child’s early language development. Many studies that look at word learning in children present novel labels and objects using videos. This study, however, seeks to understand how parents teach novel words in a free-play context to more closely resemble what a child’s learning environment looks like in their day-to-day life.
Interested in participating in one of our studies？
You can read more about what it is like participating in one of our studies here and check out studies that are currently recruiting here.