How many languages do bilingual babies expect others to speak?

For 15-22-month-old toddlers learning English and another language

This study will take place on a website called Labvanced, which (similar to Lookit) will use your webcam and microphone while the study takes place on screen. First, you will complete a demographics questionnaire. Then, your toddler will see people of different races speaking different languages. We will see how long your toddler looks at each person.

Children in North America are learning language in a socially (e.g., ethnicity) and linguistically (e.g., accents) diverse environment. Therefore, we hope to better understand how these factors influence the assumptions toddlers make about new speakers. Specifically, in this study we will see if toddlers are surprised when the same person speaks more than one language, and whether this depends on how familiar they are with people of that person’s race. This study will provide us insight into how social characteristics (i.e., race) interact with toddlers assumptions about language and the linguistically diverse environment they see around them.

20 minutes

Participating families will be sent a $10 CAD Amazon gift card, or equivalent in USD, via email within 1-2 weeks of completing the study. To receive compensation, you must meet all of the following eligibility criteria: (1) Your child falls within the age range and language exposure ranges indicated for this study, (2) your baby will need to be visible throughout the video, (3) Your child has not participated in this study before, (4) You provide valid written consent. You will still be eligible even if your child starts but does not complete the procedure, for any reason. If you would not like to receive a gift card, please inform the researcher.