Who speaks Spanish and English around your family?

For 12- to 18-month-olds, who hear each language (English and Spanish) at least 25% of the time at home.

This study will take place on a video call, live with a researcher! Clicking on the “Schedule a time to participate” button will send you to an online calendar where you can select a date and time that works for you. This study is a Zoom interview and questionnaire study for parents of 12-18 month old infants who hear English and Spanish on a regular basis. Your child should be with you during the Zoom session, but then the surveys will happen on days that work best for you.

In this study, you will begin with a 30-40 minute Zoom session where we explain the study and help you get set up. On a day that works best for your family, we will send you brief text check-ins several times throughout the day. Each check-in will ask who was with your child, what languages they heard, and what activities were taking place. Each response takes about one minute. This allows us to see how bilingual babies experience their two languages across different daily moments.

We’re studying how Spanish–English bilingual babies hear their two languages in everyday life. Previous research shows that the amount of language babies hear matters for learning, but most studies rely on one-time questionnaires that ask parents to summarize a typical day. In many families, however, babies hear different languages depending on who is around them and what they are doing. For example, one parent may speak mostly English, another may speak mostly Spanish, and siblings or grandparents may use a mix of both. Families’ routines can also change from moment to moment, so a single summary may miss important shifts in who is with the baby, what they are doing, and which language is being used.

For this study, after the video call, you will receive text messages throughout a day you select asking you who is with your child at that time, what languages they are hearing, and what activities they are doing. By using short text check-ins throughout the day, we can see how language experience changes across different activities throughout the day. Your child won’t be asked to do any tasks, and their role is simply to be with you so your answers reflect what they are experiencing in that moment. This study helps us better understand how young children experience and learn two languages.

30-40 minute Zoom setup; 2 days of short text check-ins (6 check-ins that take about 1 minute each)

Families will receive a $5 Amazon.com gift card after the Zoom setup and a $10 Amazon.com gift card for each reporting day they complete, up to two days. To receive compensation, you must meet all of the following eligibility criteria: (1) You are located in the United States, (2) Your child falls within the age range indicated for this study, (3) Your child has not participated in this study before, (4) You provide valid written consent, (5) Your child hears each language at least 25% of the time at home, (6) You respond to at least one survey on each reporting day.

Compensation will be sent within a week of each session type, e.g. within a week of the Zoom session, and within a week of both survey reporting days being completed.