Deciding which proportion is bigger!

For 4 - to 6-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. Once the call begins our researcher will show your child images of proportion amounts, in the form of orange and blue shapes (like rectangles) that might differ in how they look, and to make decisions about them. For example, we will ask them to compare the proportion of different colors, predict the outcomes of different events (like throwing ball at different pictures) based on probability, or match proportions across images.

Proportions come in so many different shapes and sizes, yet children and adults are often easily able to compare them! A single trip through the grocery store will have you estimating which trail mix packages is made up of more raisins or how much flour you need to double your cake recipe. Previous research has shown that the way proportional information is presented visually has a big effect on the way you interpret them. In this study, we are interested in how people's ability to make decisions with proportions changes as children get older and when the proportions look different.

25 minutes

Within two weeks of completing the study you will be sent a $5 gift card to Target.com, Amazon.com, or Walmart.com. You will be compensated even if your child is unable to complete the whole study. However, we cannot compensate unless you attend the Zoom call with an age appropriate child, and we cannot compensate the participation of a single child more than once.