The Early Learning Lab, Auckland (ELLA) is made up of a group of researchers in The School of Psychology at The University of Auckland. We are devoted to understanding how babies, toddlers and young children learn and understand the world around them.

Our studies often involve playing interactive games, watching videos, solving puzzles, or discussions about actions and events they’ve observed. We are currently running a number of major government-funded projects, and also support the research of Honours and Postgraduate students, who design and carry out smaller-scale projects.

“Learning about learning: Ella’s window into the developing mind”

The aim of our world-renowned research is to better understand infant and child development based on groups of children rather than on individuals. In our published works we describe our findings to provide information for clinicians, teachers, and parents who work with children, including children with disabilities. We aim to better understand the world of our society’s youngest members, and hope that in so doing we might be able to make their world a better place.

If you would like to be involved, complete a register your interest form, or visit our FAQs page to find out more about how our sessions are run, and what happens during a specific study.