Let's Talk with Aliens!

For bilingual/multilingual 4-7 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. Your child will see aliens talking to each other and answer some questions. In each conversation, the aliens will say things in English and in their alien language. After hearing each conversation, your child will answer questions about how the aliens talked.

In this study, we aim to explore what children think about language mixing. Language mixing happens when someone uses two or more languages in the same sentence (e.g., "Hola, my name is Sam!"). We are particularly interested to know if children use the same strategies adults do, and when they expect language mixing to occur. Your child will see some aliens talking to each other: sometimes these aliens will mix English and their alien language in one sentence and sometimes they will just use English. We will then ask your child questions about how the aliens should mix English and their alien language as well as how well they think the aliens spoke. This research helps us understand how children mix languages. We know that adults mix languages in predictable ways, but we don't know when children develop this ability. It also helps us understand how children view others who may mix languages.

20 minutes

You will receive a $5 Tango gift card for completing this study within one week of participation. Compensation is contingent on attending the scheduled Zoom as well as having your child within the stated age range, present, and visible during the Zoom session.