A recent article in CEHD Connect magazine discussed research conducted by the Institute of Child Development (ICD) that focuses on how children develop skills to form trust and learn from others.

The article highlights work by Melissa Koenig, Ph.D., a professor in ICD, and Sarah Suárez, a doctoral student in ICD’s child psychology program. Koenig and Suárez conduct their research as part of the Early Language and Experience Lab, which Koenig directs. In the lab, they aim to understand how children acquire knowledge from others and how they balance the benefits of learning with the risk of misinformation.

“We’re trying to correct a longstanding, flawed, picture of child learners. Children aren’t just accepting whatever they’re told,” Koenig says. “Once you put aside the model of children being passive and credulous learners, it allows you to ask all kinds of questions about how we can support their evaluation of other people and the information they provide.”

To learn more about Koenig and Suárez’s research, read the full story, “Trusting to Learn.”