Who takes care of family members?

For 7- to 9-year-olds

This study takes place on a Zoom video call with a researcher! Clicking on the “schedule a time to participate” button will take you to an online calendar where you can select a date and time that works best for you and your child. Your child will hear stories about different families of novel characters. We will ask your child to make guesses about who will (or should) help a family member meet a need. For instance, a child character may need comforting because they are sad, and we will ask your child whether they think the character's grandmother or grandfather will (or should) help.

This study investigates how children think about caregiving roles. Even very young children expect family and friends to help more than strangers, but prior work has not looked at children's expectations of help within families. Do children expect certain family members (e.g., women and girls) to engage in caregiving more than others? Do these expectations depend on the type of care that is needed (e.g., emotional vs. material)? This study will help us better understand children's ideas about who will (and should) provide care within families.

15 minutes

Within a week of participating, families will receive a $5 Amazon.com (US) gift card via email. Only one gift card will be given per participant. To receive the gift card, the child participant must belong to the suitable age range of the study and must be visible during the study.