Ring, ring! Hello?

For 4-, 7-, and 8-year-olds

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. In this study, your child will watch a short video where two people will play a pretend game with an invisible telephone. The telephone will be hidden in one of two boxes once one of them leaves, and your child will be asked where they think she will look for the phone once she returns.

According to previous research, children have a difficult time keeping track of others' beliefs about hidden objects before a certain age. However, this has only been tested with real objects. This study will help us understand how children think about others' beliefs when they are presented with a scenario wherein people are interacting with either invisible or real objects during pretend play.

5 minutes

This study is voluntary. In order to be eligible, your child must be 4-, 7-, or 8-years old and understand English, you must provide a valid consent video, and your child must be present for the duration of the study.