Harvard Lab for Developmental Studies (Thomas) (Harvard University)
Who Can Participate |
For 7- to 10-month-old infants who are based in the US. Each infant can participate up to two times (on two separate days). |
What Happens |
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 Zoom-based study, your baby will watch videos of people who are either smiling or neutral. We'll examine how your baby attends to the videos. This study includes a second optional session. Please sign up for two separate days. |
What We're Studying |
People face a challenge of representing different people as unique individuals. Past research has found that younger babies do not readily track differences between people. The present study asks whether babies form stronger memories of people who are socially engaging. Your baby will see people say "Hello there!", and then later disappear unexpectedly from the screen. We will examine whether babies are surprised when different people disappear. This study will shed light on babies' understanding of other people: specifically, how babies come to attend to and learn from other people. |
Duration |
20 minutes |
Compensation |
Children can participate up to two times (on two separate days), and after each session, they will receive a $5 online gift card and a certificate of participation, within 24 hours of participating. To receive the gift card and certificate, the child must be within the age range for our study. Each child can receive up to two gift cards (i.e., one for each of two sessions). We can compensate participants with Amazon US gift cards, or with alternative online gift cards (e.g., Target.). 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. |
This study is conducted by Dr. Ashley Thomas (contact: athomas@g.harvard.edu).