For families
Our work is made possible by the children and families who participate in our research. Your family can sign up to participate in brief, online studies to help us understand how children learn languages, all from the comfort of home. We would love for you to be a part of our work!
Sign up to participate!
Current studies
Check out the studies we are currently running in the lab!
Help Train Puppies in a New Language!
Who Can Participate: For 5 to 8 year old children who live in the US.
What Happens: In this study, your child will play a game that teaches them how to interact with puppies in a new language. They will listen to and repeat back some sentences.
Duration: 45 minutes
Compensation: Eligible participants will receive a $10 Amazon gift card within one week of participating in the study.
Click here to sign up!
Match the Picture!
Who Can Participate: For 3 to 5 year old children who live in the US.
What Happens: In this study, your child will play a game on the computer. They will hear a word and see two pictures on the screen and will be asked to pick which picture matches the word they hear.
Duration: 30 minutes
Compensation: Eligible participants will receive a $10 Amazon gift card within one week of participating in the study.
Check back later for openings
Learning new words from sentences!
Who Can Participate: For 10 to 12 month old children who live in the US.
What Happens: In this study, your baby will listen to several short sentences containing new or familiar words as they watch a colorful checkerboard (or jack-in-the-box toy).
Duration: 15 minutes
Compensation: Eligible participants will receive a $10 Amazon gift card within one week of participating in the study.
Check back later for openings
FAQs
Why should we participate in a study?
Adults are better than children at most things, but children are better at learning languages! Your child’s participation can help us understand why language learning comes so naturally to children, which can help us understand what goes wrong when language is impaired and how to help people more easily acquire additional languages as adults.
How do we participate?
Fill out our interested families form to let us know you are interested! We’ll reach out to you soon after to schedule an appointment.
What will my child do during a study?
Each study is a little bit different! You can look at the studies above to learn more about what you and your child will be asked to do, how long it will take, and how you’ll be compensated.
What if my child doesn’t want to do the study?
No problem! We want our studies to be a positive experience for you and your child. If your child doesn’t want to do the study, or starts the study but changes their mind, you can stop participating at any time. You are always welcome to try again another day if you like!
Will my child have fun doing the experiment?
The games in our studies are usually enjoyable and engaging for kids! However, if your child feels that they would rather not play for whatever reason, that’s fine! We will never force them to complete the study.
How will my family be compensated?
We will send your family an Amazon gift card! Usually, these gifts range from $10 to $15 depending on the length of the study. If you prefer Paypal or Venmo, we can pay you that way instead.
Do I need to print and sign the consent form?
No! We’ll send an electronic version of the consent form when you schedule an appointment! We will also send it ahead of time so that you can view it before you decide to sign up for the study.
Do I need to be present during the study?
In-person: Once the study is set up, parents can leave the room and hang out in the lab or simply stay nearby. The only thing we ask is that the child completes the study on their own.
Online: Parents can stay close by, or leave the room if they prefer. The only thing we ask is that the child completes the study independently. Our researcher will stay on the Zoom call the entire time to help your child with the study.
Will my child be recorded?
At the beginning of the study, the researcher will ask the parent for permission to video record. This recording is used to check that the study procedures were followed and will only be viewed by researchers in the lab. If you would not like your child to be recorded, that is fine, just let the researcher know at the beginning of the study.