“yes, and..” (how conjunctions shape kids’ answers)

For English speaking 3 to 6 year olds in the United States.

This study will take place on a live video call with a researcher! Clicking the “Schedule a time to participate” button will take you to an online calendar where you can choose a time that works for you. During the session, children will watch two short illustrated stories—one about Froggy and one about Ducky—as they each go through a series of everyday events. After each story, children will answer simple “Do you know…?” questions about what happened in the story. They will also hear how other people answered the same questions and may be asked to share what they think or add more information to their answers. You will complete a short questionnaire about your family before the session, which will take about 10 minutes.

In this study, we are trying to understand how young children decide what to say when answering questions about stories. By hearing short “Do you know…?” questions about the Froggy and Ducky stories—and listening to how other people answered those same questions—we can see whether children simply say yes/no or begin to add more detail. This helps us learn how hearing others’ responses, or “models,” influences children’s own explanations and reasoning. We hope this study will provide insight into how conversation and social cues support children’s developing language and communication skills.

15 minute

As a small token of our appreciation, your child will be provided with a $5 online Amazon.com gift card. In order to receive this compensation, your child must meet the eligibility criteria for the study and attend the scheduled session. Compensation will be received within 3 weeks of participating.