Should I learn from my parent's friend?

For 3- to 6-year-olds

This study will take place on a video call, live with a researcher! Clicking on the “Participate Now!” button will send you to an online calendar where you can select a date and time that works for you. In this study, your child will watch you interact with puppets and then answer questions about who they want to learn from. Before the session, you will receive a confirmation email with a short prerecorded video with instructions on how you will be interacting with the puppets. We ask that you watch this video in a private space, if possible, so your child does not overhear the instructions.

Some research suggests that young children learn about others in their environment by observing how their caregivers interact with them. In this study, the child will watch live interactions between puppets on the screen, the researcher, and their caregiver. The puppets will then label novel objects and we will ask your child questions about who they want to learn from. This research will shed light on whether children choose to learn from characters that have positive relationships with their caregiver.

15 minutes

Participants will receive a $5 online gift card and (if requested) a certificate of participation, within 24 hours of participating over Zoom. To receive the gift card and certificate, the child must be within the age range for our study. Each child will only receive one gift card. We can compensate participants with an Amazon US gift card, or with an alternative online gift card. We'll ask you about what gift cards work for your family, and we'll work with our lab manager to get you a suitable gift card.