Connor's Day in Space!

For English-speaking 6-9 year olds

In this study, your child will watch a video about a child who is exploring a new planet with his astronaut mother. Your child will hear about a group of aliens called the Kibbies and how they like to play. Your child will then be asked several questions to see what they think about the Kibbies and their toys.

Previous research has shown that children are skilled communicators who pay attention to subtle aspects of how people talk, not just the literal words they use. When learning about new situations or people, children gather information from multiple sources, including the specific ways adults describe or respond to things they see. However, we don't yet fully understand how children integrate different types of conversational cues when forming their own beliefs and judgments.

In this study, we examine how children think about behaviors after hearing an adult respond to them in different ways. By watching Connor's mom respond to the Kibbies' toys using different conversational styles (sometimes with enthusiasm, sometimes with explanation, or sometimes with simple acknowledgment), your child will help us understand which aspects of adult language children find most informative when learning about what's typical in a new social group. This research contributes to our broader understanding of how children learn from the social world around them.

15 minutes

Participants will receive a $3 Tango gift card as a thank you for participating. The gift card will be sent by email within a week of participating. To be eligible for the gift card your child must be in the age range for this study, you need to submit a valid consent statement, and we need to see that there is a child with you.