Smith College Lab (Smith College)
Who Can Participate |
For children aged three through seven years |
What Happens |
In this study your child will be introduced to some new creatures made by a wizard. Pictures show what possessions the new creatures have, and a puppy will attempt to describe the pictures using words like all, none, some. Your child will choose smiling or frowning faces to tell us if the puppy is describing the scenes correctly. |
What We're Studying |
We are studying how children learn the meaning of words like some, every, and all, called quantifiers. They are like numbers, but they have their own conditions of use. Children have been found to make certain errors with understanding these words, and we are trying to see if the types of errors are connected. These words are really important for all kinds of schooling: not just mathematics and science, but ordinary directions like recipes. Your child can help us to figure out the learning path to improve education! |
Duration |
15 minutes |
Compensation |
Within a week of participating, we will email you a Junior Scientist Certificate for your child, if they are in the right age range and we see them visible in the consent and assent videos. A child can only play once. |
This study is conducted by Jill de Villiers (contact: jdevilli@smith.edu).