Tick-Tock, Baby Clock

For 6–10 months old

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 the session, your baby will watch videos of water being poured into a container. After each pouring video, your baby will see two outcomes: one with an amount of water that matches the length of the pour, and one that is impossible because it is either too much or too little for that pour. Babies often show what they find surprising by looking longer. Therefore, we will observe how long your baby looks at each outcome to see whether they look longer at the impossible one, indicating that this outcome violates their expectation.

Babies use many kinds of information—such as size, number, and how long something takes—to make sense of everyday events. Previous research suggests that infants can connect some of these cues, like matching a longer line with a longer sound. This study builds on that work by asking whether babies use how long a pouring event takes to form expectations about how much water they should see afterward.

15 minutes

Families will receive a $5 Amazon.com gift card for participating in the study. Gift cards will be emailed the following Monday.