“Yes, and…” Study:
In this study, children ages 3 to 5 can participate virtually via a live video call with a researcher. The purpose of this research is to understand how young children decide what to say when answering questions about stories.
Informant Connection Study:
This research tests 4- and 5-year-old children and explores how children learn words from familiar versus unfamiliar informants. We are also interested in whether children ask questions about known versus new words.
Social Motivation Study:
Children ages 4 and 5 years old are invited to participate in an in-person research study on how young children learn words. In this study, we are interested in learning more about children’s questions about new words.
In all of our studies, a main goal is to find out what kinds of non-language skills might support preschool-aged children’s understanding of language. We are especially interested in how children’s use of questions helps them learn new words.
Our in-person studies typically involve a one-time, hour-long visit to our child playroom on Vanderbilt’s Peabody campus, where parents remain in the testing room with children the entire time. Our online studies involve a 15-minute Zoom call with a researcher that is supervised by the child’s parent.
Our studies are designed to be enjoyable for infants and children. During the study, we might try to teach a child some new words or ask them to find hidden objects. We learn about how children learn words from how they respond to our questions.
Our current studies are designed for children who are English-speaking, monolingual (speak only one language at home), and hearing. Children who have hearing loss, vision loss, developmental diagnoses, or speech/language delays will not be able to participate in our current research.
Your child will receive a small toy or book as a “thank you” for your participation!
