The research in the SLAB Lab is broadly focused on how learners acquire languages and on the consequences of bilingualism. More narrowly, we are interested in how language learners comprehend sentences and how language instruction influences comprehension processes. Our current research primarily investigates several primary research questions, including:
- What parts of a sentence do language learners use to make meaning?
- How can language instruction change which parts of a sentence language learners use to make meaning?
- How does knowledge in one area (e.g,. phonology) affect the acquisition of linguistic forms in another area (e.g., grammar)?
- How does explicit information influence the acquisition of grammatical structures?
- How does the knowledge of a second language influence comprehension processes in a learners’ first language?
