What did the genie do?

3-year-old children whose dominant or only language they are learning is English.

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. During a scheduled Zoom call with one of our researchers, your child will watch a series of short videos featuring a genie and his animal friends. In each one, they’ll hear a pre-recorded description of the video with a missing word. Your child will be asked to repeat the full description or say the missing word.

This study explores how children use and understand phrases that refer to multiple entities. Expressions like “all of the cats,” “some of the cats,” “three cats,” and “the cats” all describe more than one cat, but differ in what they communicate—such as whether the cats form a group, whether they’re treated as individuals, and whether the quantity is exact or vague. We’re particularly interested in whether the way multiple entities are grouped—or not grouped—influences the kinds of phrases children prefer. For instance, do children choose different expressions when the cats are presented as a group versus as separate individuals? Since adult language offers multiple ways to describe sets and individuals, we aim to understand what distinctions children are sensitive to as they acquire this aspect of language.

15 - 25 minutes

After you participate, we’ll email you a $5 Amazon.com eGift card as a thank-you. (One gift card per child; child must be in the age range for the study, child must be visible during study.) You will receive the email with the gift card within a week of your participation.