What we do is simple.
In an infant study, babies are seated on their parent’s lap and presented with displays consisting of objects or people. Then we measure how long they spend looking at each display. Since babies typically look longer at things that they find new or surprising, we can make inferences about how babies perceive and understand our displays by examining general patterns of looking across a number of infants.
In a toddler study, children play a game with one of our experimenters which might range from sorting shapes, picking out objects, or answering simple questions. Their responses to our games tell us a lot about how children think and learn!
For an in-person study, caregivers stay in the room with their child at all times, and if caregivers have other children who would like to come along, we provide toys and baby-sitters for them. Although many families choose to come in several times to participate in different studies, participation in one study requires just one visit and does not commit families to any other visits. Each study takes about fifteen minutes, but caregivers should plan on a thirty-minute visit so that we have time to explain the study further and discuss its findings with them.
For a virtual (Zoom) study, caregivers seat the infant on their lap facing a computer screen or seat their child in front of the screen. After the initial Zoom set up, we show the infants a short puppet show via a few videos or play a few virtual games with children. The entire study takes about 15 minutes including the set up! Like with our in-person studies, participation in one study requires just one session and does not commit families to any other study sessions.
Sign up to participate here!
