The ChiLD Lab

The Childhood Learning and Development (ChiLD) Lab is led by Dr. Samuel Ronfard, Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto at Mississauga. We study how children learn about, come to believe in, and come to understand ideas and concepts that defy their everyday experiences and their intuitive theories about the world. Learn more about our past and current research. Our core values: We share a commitment to understanding how and why children's thinking changes over time. We also share a commitment to understanding why individual children differ from one another. We are intellectually curious, collegial, and value scientific rigor. We value diversity. We value perspectives and experiences that differ from our own. Such diversity strengthens our science and deepens our humanity. We are committed to an intellectual climate that is welcoming, challenging, and nurturing. We acknowledge and appreciate our differences as well as our similarities. We work together to create a work environment where we can bring our whole selves. When challenges arise we work together to find solutions. Science is a team sport and we show up for each other to celebrate successes when things get tough. We don't take shortcuts and take steps to mitigate potential sources of bias in our work. We acknowledge our mistakes and always strive to improve. We hold each other accountable and provide each other with kind, specific, and helpful feedback. We speak with the possibility of being heard and listen with the possibility of being changed. Science is hard. There is always more to know and more to do. Nothing we do is perfect and striving for continual improvement is difficult. We encourage everyone in our community to find the balance that works for them and value non-academic work and interests. We aim to build upon our shared values to create a mutually-supportive environment that encourages all members to be better scientists and people.