Does social connection help children think about others' minds?

For 3-year-olds

This study will take place on a video call, live with a researcher! Clicking on the “Participate Now!” 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 see cartoon characters or humans of varying social relevance looking at pictures of a landscape and answer questions about the characters’ perspectives: how these characters see those pictures.

Young children often struggle to understand how others' perspectives are different from their own. But perspective-taking is very important to communication. The present study asks whether social relevance shapes how children think about others’ perspectives. Specifically, we ask whether children are better able to understand that someone facing them has a different perspective when the person is socially closer to the child. This research will shed light on the role of social relevance in children's understanding of others' minds.

15 minutes

Children will receive a $5 online gift card and a certificate of participation, within 24 hours of participating over Zoom. To receive the gift card and certificate, the child must be within the age range for our study and be visible for at least part of the study. Each child will only receive one gift card. We can compensate participants with an Amazon US gift card, or with an alternative online gift card. We'll ask you about what gift cards work for your family, and we'll work with our lab manager to get you a suitable gift card.